Get Ready For The Easter Term - Checking Your School Shoes
We all know how quickly kids grow out of their school shoes and how important it is to regularly check the fit, and we also know a lot of parents prefer to do this during half terms or at the end of term. So with Easter approaching, I’ve put together a guide on what you need to check for, and a look at some of our favourite school shoes available this season!
The starting point…
How do I size my kids feet?
You may have seen our previous blog on how to check the fit for little feet and although the basis is exactly the same with measuring, it’s also really important to know how their current school shoes are fitting. The easiest and quickest way to do this is to get them to pop their school shoes on and stand straight, right in front of you. Using your thumb, you’re looking for around a thumbs width of space from the longest toe to the end of the shoe - if you’re finding it difficult to press the leather down and feel their toe, it’s worth checking to see if the insoles are removable. This way you can ask them to stand on the insole instead, and you should be able to see that their foot doesn’t fill it completely.
It’s also really important to check that the width is correct. Too tight and you’ll be restricting the foot, making it difficult for natural movement and often creating marks. Too loose and the shoe could end up rubbing, causing blisters at the heel and often pain around the toes from trying to keep the shoes on. In order to check this, you’ll need to run your finger around the heel and any other parts of the shoe which are open (for example, Mary Jane style shoes and ballerina style shoes have open areas at the top of the foot). While doing this, you’re checking that there is just enough space for the tip of your finger to go around, without it being easy to pull the sides away from the foot, or there being too much of a
The next step…
So, if you think your child might be ready for a new pair having outgrown their old ones, then comes the fun of actually choosing your new pair (we know not many kids actually find this bit fun, but we can pretend)! Let’s take a look at some of our top picks of school shoes this season…
As you’ll probably know if you’ve shopped with us before, the brand we measure and fit for is Start-Rite shoes and they have an extensive range of school shoes available. With styles ranging from T-Bars to Mary Janes and lace ups to rip tape fastenings, there’s certainly a style for every child and every foot type. They also cater for various widths with a lot of styles going from a narrow E fit to a wide H fit. If you’re headed to the store to get measured and fitted, our trained staff will be able to advise the best style for your child.
We know a lot of children much prefer trainers to school shoes so it can be difficult to find the right balance and have school shoes they’re happy with. If your school isn’t too strict on footwear, Skechers now have a range of trainer like shoes that are suitable for school! Doing away with their usual bright colours and flashing lights, their school range are completely black (including the soles) and have both Mary Jane styles and full shoes to choose from. They’re also a good brand to consider if you need new PE shoes, with comfortable memory foam insoles and hard wearing, mark free soles they’re sure to last until the next size up is needed!
Our top picks for boys school shoes
Let’s start with the smaller boys - you’ll find most of the boys school shoes for the younger age groups have a rip tape fastening to make it easy to get them on and off. It also makes it so much easier to make sure the width is correct for them; too much of the strap showing and they will be too narrow for the foot. Similarly, if you can pull the strap well over the foot so that it’s almost touching the sole, the shoes will be far too wide. You’ll also find with this age group that the shoes tend to come with helpful and sometimes fun additions to the shoes, including reflective panels, chunky toe bumpers, removable insoles and sometimes even glow in the dark elements!
Moving onto the older boys school shoes, by this point you usually have a choice between rip tape fastenings or lace ups. The lace up styles are becoming more and more popular with secondary school age children as it allows them to have more of a grown up look, and we now stock the more trainer like looking lace ups as well as the smarter brogues and pointed toe shoes.
Our top picks for girls school shoes
When it comes to girls school shoes, there are so many more style choices available! For the younger girls it really depends on the foot type when it comes to what we would advise. For those with a higher instep, a T-Bar or a full shoe is usually a good choice as it stops the foot being restricted and usually creates a more comfortable fit. For those without a high instep or even a narrower foot, quite often a Mary Jane style shoe is a popular choice. The open front of a Mary Jane creates a nice open area and are usually fastened securely across the top of the foot with a rip tape strap.
As for the older, secondary school age girls, we’ve found brogues or chunky lace up styles hugely popular and often a fairly good fit for all foot types. But if these aren’t for you, there are still options available for T-Bar styles or slip on styles which also look smart and stylish.
Looking for something a little different?
Did you know that we now stock a small range of vegan school shoes? Thanks to Start Rite, we are now able to offer a leather free range of school shoes! Or if none of these take your fancy, it may be worth considering Heavenly Feet for the older children as these are also a comfortable Vegan friendly brand. Of course if you did have any questions about vegan shoes suitable for school, our friendly staff are always able to help point you in the right direction and recommend what they think will fit best.
