Disclaimer: We were sent these Start-Rite: ‘Samba’ girls & ‘Motivate’ boys school shoes to review free of charge, but words and pictures are mine.
You might think that, what with the end of term only just approaching, it’s a little early to start preparing for back to school. However, having experienced school shoe shopping with one week to go until the new term, I’ve promised myself I’d never do it again. Luckily, I had the opportunity to work with Start-Rite shoes and skip it all entirely this year!
You can buy Start-Rite school shoes online
Although you can buy and try on Start-Rite school shoes in many shops including John Lewis, you can also buy them online with £5.99 next day delivery and free returns for 90 days. Start-Rite sent me a foot measuring gauge; a very handy thing to have. You can get your own here if you would prefer to avoid the shops.
This took me way back to my first proper Saturday job, working in a shoe shop in town. Oh, the stories I could tell from that, if I hadn’t successfully managed to kill off all my brain cells in the intervening 20 years.
Anyway, I managed to measure both kids’ feet (including their size and width fitting) and then we looked at the website to see which shoes were available in their size. As they both have school shoes which still fit, I decided to go up half a size from what they’re currently wearing because kids do tend to grow. Hopefully they’ll be perfect at the start of term in six weeks time.
Here’s what we chose from the Start-Rite website.
Motivate Start-Rite boys school shoes
My son likes to spend his break times playing football and running around the playground, and seems to get through a lot of shoes that way. It was important that as well as looking smart enough to pass the school rules, his shoes were flexible, comfortable, wouldn’t show up every minor scuff and would last until they were too small, rather than just falling apart.
Together, we chose the style ‘Motivate‘, which are available in sizes 10-4 and with an F or G width fitting. They cost £50.
The front bumper on these shoes is made of rubber so great if your kids like to kick cheese graters or whatever else it is they seem to get up to in the playground. The double riptape fastening means he’ll be able to get them on and off easily and the thick leather feels like it will be extremely durable.
According to the website, they also have a scuff resistant heel, and are breathable and flexible to encourage natural foot movement.
In addition, 10% from sales of Motivate shoes will be donated to The Daily Mile, which is something my kids take part in.
Samba Start-Rite girls school shoes
My daughter isn’t quite as active in the playground and doesn’t put her shoes through as much torment as her younger brother, but she is certainly more fussy about style – a girl after my own heart there.
She chose ‘Samba‘, a pair of classic Mary-Jane style shoes with a low heel and non-marking sole. They have a velcro rip-tape fastener to make them easy to get on and off and keep them secure, and they are padded on the ankle for comfort.
They’re available in sizes 13 to 5.5, and in widths D to H, and cost £48.
Why Start-Rite shoes?
I’ll be honest; Start-Rite shoes do come at a higher price point. Time was, that school shoes all came from a small number of shops and they were expensive no matter what; but now it is possible to pick up a pair from a supermaket for much less than the £50 you might spend on a pair from Start-Rite.
So why should you spend the extra? Well, for a start, Start-Rite shoes are made from soft, good quality leather which is breathable, flexible and good for feet. Each of their school shoes is designed to ensure that the leather won’t crack during wear, they can be fastened at least 5,000 times and the soles can last for a minimum of 500,000 steps. That’s a lot of steps.
Having purchased cheap supermarket shoes in a panic, I can personally confirm that a £20 pair of school shoes might not be such a bargain if they don’t even last a term – and some (like the pair below which lasted less than a month) don’t!
Best of all, they’re really comfortable so I’m told, they look good, they meet all of the school’s uniform rules (which not all supermarket school shoes do, I’ve discovered!) and the kids are happy to wear them.