School Shoes: Part 1 Our Tips for shopping for school shoes

With term one of 2017 due to start in less than 2 weeks its time for parents to consider the purchase of new school shoes. Depending on uniform requirements and your child’s sports activities you’ll be looking at least for 1 pair but in most cases 2 new pairs of shoes. Here are some of my tips on what types of school shoes to buy.

If your child can wear sports shoes as part of the everyday uniform, you may be able to get away with 1 pair, but remember the more they wear them, the quicker they will wear them out. Be prepared to replace these every 1-2 terms. My recommendation is 1 pair of all-purpose sports shoes that will take them from the classroom to Phys Ed. Look for a quality shoe as most cases it will last longer (hint: normally the recommended retail price indicates quality).

For children that wear a lace up formal school shoe as part of the uniform, look for shoes that are well made with rubber soles and leather uppers. If the shoe has additional removable insoles, you will have some room for growth or to add orthotics if needed. These shoes may last the duration of the school year if they don’t outgrow them, so it worth spending a bit more for quality so they don’t outwear them.

Some parents prefer to put their child in sandals for the hot weather, which are much cooler to wear in the Perth summer than socks and enclosed shoes. If you choose to buy sandals, look for a sandal with an enclosed heel as it will hold the shoe on the foot more securely and most cases more comfortably. The downside of sandals is you will also need enclosed in shoes for winter, and sandals don’t do as well in sports activities or active outdoor play.

Many schools require white sports shoes be worn during Phys Ed, and this is very much limits the choice of shoes available. In this case, you may struggle to find a white shoe that ticks the boxes for your child’s foot and their activities. Personally, I have found you can push the boundaries with a colour slightly is you go for paler colours and replace bright shoe laces with white ones. In dire cases where the school won’t accept them, you can paint over the colours, but be prepared for mortified children!

Finally a word on sport specific shoes. If you child is involved in a specific sport at a higher or more intense level, generally you will need a more specific shoe for that sport. I would advise not purchasing these until they are needed, as you don’t know how much the foot will grow and more choices of shoes are likely to come on the market as the season approaches.

Our last tip on buying school shoes is to have them properly fitted in a shop which has experienced and knowledgeable staff. For more on this see our next post: Our favourite shoe stores to buy school shoes