The hunt for the right school shoes

What a minefield...

R (and I'm guessing most 7 year olds boys) is very tough on school shoes. It's not surprising seeing the playground games of tig, running, football, etc.

The supposedly good brand 'Startrite' pair bought in August now are very scuffed and sorry looking, with no tread left, they leak water in, and the 'special invincible rubber toe' section doesn't look very invincible now.

After 5 shops, and no luck in finding an instant buy ideal solution, these were the best replacement. They are leather and they look like decent shoes on top, but I think are effectively sturdy comfortable running shoes underneath the surface. Sounds like a perfect solution... except they are on order for a week, and cost £42. R will get them next Thursday, and they had better last more than 4 months!

Keeping things in perspective, they are a world away from what I had as a kid. Clarks 'Nomads'were the Kiwi school staple in the 80's. They were heavy, not cool, and had a thick solid rubber sole which offered no redeeming features other than durability. We definitely didn't have a choice of anything as amazing as these.