Help me parse "school shoes" vs. trainers

[ysette9]

As a new parent newly moved to the UK, I appreciate these forums as a source of advice. My oldest is starting Year 7 and we are parsing the uniform policy. I've never experienced a shoe policy other than "wear something you can safely run and play in", so figuring out what is considered school shoes is a bit mysterious.

I looked at the example images the school provided of acceptable footwear, and it is a collection of horrifyingly ugly and horrifyingly uncomfortable/disfiguring torture devices. I want their feet to be in foot-shaped, flexible, flat shoes to promote balance and proper development. I found these shoes that seem to fit the bill, but my spouse is concerned they look too "trainer-like". Neither of us can determine what a trainer is or is not. I know the decision is ultimately up to the judges at school, but I'd love your collective input to help educate me.

These are the shoes: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/187473076260 I blacked out the edges to make it more subtle. I'll see if I can figure a way to add an attachment to this post with the actual photos.

Gosh, unusual for SLT to teach reception.

Could have been worse though. Our reception teachers had to store a dozen boaters (Head with hat fetish).

M&S do shirts with a fake button and velcro underneath. Those and a clip on tie saw us through Infants.

I don't think they're acceptable.

Plus...second hand shoes from Ebay??? Really?

They look scruffy where you’ve coloured them black

This isn’t the case for barefoot shoes, which is what the OP is after.

As they are minimalist, zero drop, flexible and foot shaped, you don’t have the same issues and gait problems causing uneven wear that you do when you shove your children’s feet into “traditional” school shoes.

These would have been fine at my DCs schools (London, primary and secondary) so I think the best way forward is just ask the school. Don't go into the whole thing about getting them and colouring them in, just send them a photo, say these are the shoes you have for your child and do they meet school policy.

Thanks for this which answers my question about the shoes being secondhand.

@ysette9 I am also intrigued that you don't or didn't know what trainers were. Is that bc you have never come across them, or are they called something different where you come from? Have you really never seen anyone wearing something like this:
www.nike.com/gb/t/mc-trainer-3-workout-shoes-0F20Pb

But they tick all the requirements

Polishable shoe means leather or fake leather basically. Shoes you can use shoe polish on. They can be lace up, slip on or Mary Jane style. They are comfortable to wear and leather lets your feet breathe. Trainers are sneakers

My eldest goes to a similarly strict secondary and basically any shoe that is comfortable or practical is banned.

Ooh that’s a new one to me 😃 I shall pass in this wisdom!

What a palaver for a pair of shoes.

How old is the child as I don’t know any child alive that would wear those hideously fugly barefoot shoes no matter how comfortable they are?

My tween has 2 pairs. They are ridiculously comfortable.

These are similar to the pair you posted if you are looking for affordable barefoot shoes.
You could easily cut the fabric label off the side
https://www.bgreatershoes.com/products/edgley-black

Trainers are called runners in Ireland.
At primary school here my kids had tracksuits worn with runners on pe and drama days. On other days it was uniform with school shoes with the added complication of non marking soles. I had 3 kids to dress correctly 5 days a week. I had notes in my diary...

We buy Froddo brand barefoot school shoes

Sans angst and mewling? Goodness, you worked on that, non?

OP - good luck with the shoes, UK school uniform rules can be crazy.

What does parse mean

Your child won't thank you for buying those. Just get a pair of shoes from the list.

It's a grammatical term meaning to work out what each part of the sentence is - verb, conjunction etc.

I think the op means they want to understand what is meant by trainers and hoe they differ from school.shoes.

You say you want your DC to be comfortable and yet have trawled eBay to find a random pair of second-hand trainers 🙄.

Just buy a pair of smart black school shoes like everyone else and stop with the histrionics.

Agreed. When a kid starts a new school, I think the thing that makes them feel most comfortable is fitting in. Not being made to wear second hand shoes with bits coloured in with a Sharpie.

Thank you to all who took the time to provide input, helpful and otherwise. The first day of school went fine and no mention was made of the shoes one way or the other. The kid finds them comfortable, and they are leather and a quality brand, so they should last until her feet grow out of them.

To those who kindly expressed concern, I can assure you the shoes' soles are pristine, so they are in excellent condition despite a few creases seen due to nature of the shoes being leather.

My kid came home from the first day wondering about the emphasis placed verbally from school staff about the importance of strictly following all rules, including those about the uniform. While watching the drop off this morning I was interested to see how many kids had elements that were non-compliant with the uniform policy. Perhaps the bark is worse than the bite? We'll learn with time.

Happy back to school to everyone.

Or perhaps the school have noted the non-compliance and will enforce in coming days

Yes, it's quite a niche term which my MIL, a former deputy head uses. I find the use of the term parse and the use of the term kid to be somewhat conflicting.