It feels like almost the end of an era. This time last year we were getting H ready to go back into Sixth Form. He needed loads of new stuff, almost a full kitting out again like at the start of school or going into secondary. This year he has all the clothes he needs; he hasn’t grown out of them; most things still look to have plenty of wear left; his backpack is still in good shape; in fact the only thing he needs (apart from perhaps a stationery refresh) is a new pair of school shoes. Last year’s pair were on their last legs at the end of the school year, so he very much needs another pair for the school year ahead.
Start-Rite got in touch and offered us a pair of school shoes. I hadn’t realised that Start-Rite did such big sizes – I assumed they were for smaller children and in fact, H did wear them when he was younger. In fact, Start-Rite actually do school shoes in a wide range of sizes, right up to size 12, which will cover most boys including big, tall sixth-formers like H. We were looking at size 10 shoes for H and there were 5 styles (which was more than I was expecting) to choose from including a slip-on style, which is what he finds easiest to wear these days.
So we picked out the College Style. This is a good-looking slip-on with a sculptured heel for comfort and support. It’s made from soft dyed through leather and has durable biomechanically engineered soles that give added grip. It looks quite grown up and you could easily see it being worn by an adult man. The concealed elastic makes these shoes to slip on and off – great for those teenagers that have got up at the last minute to go to school and easy to remove when it’s time to chill at home. Being a smart style, this shoe could easily be worn with a suit for special occasions, or with more casual trousers for a more relaxed look.
Start-Rite’s school shoes come in standard and wide fittings as well as half sizes. This makes it easier to get a good fit, which is so important because after all these shoes will be worn a lot. And this pair are a nice fit for H.
These shoes look and feel well made. The leather is good quality and the shoes seem to have been manufactured well. All bodes well for a good year of use ahead of us. H tends to walk part way home – a mile or more most days, so it’s important to have shoes that are robust enough to deal with that sort of pounding on pavements. It’s good to know that Start-Rite have been in business since 1792. You don’t last that long as a company unless you are doing something right.
Disclosure: This is a paid collaboration with Start-Rite. We were provided with a pair of school shoes for the purposes of this post.
Crikey, time has whizzed by. N is going into year 9, Startrite shoes are on our list for Saturday. Our usual kids shoe shop has closed, so we’re trying the small one in a nearby little town, but if they don’t have any suitable, I’m not sure where we’ll get them as we have no other suppliers near us anymore.