H is about to move onto secondary school and I seem to be spending a lot of my time sourcing uniform or equipment for him and getting it labelled up. Hopefully, we are on the home straight now, but there are still a few items to get. One less thing to worry about has been H’s new school shoes as he was sent some to review.
He’ll be starting secondary school with shoes from Treads on his feet. There’s lots to like about them not least the 12 month indestructible guarantee. Now we obviously haven’t been able to try out H’s Treads’ shoes over that long a period, but I have confidence that they will last a long time as they feel and look sturdy and well made. Despite that they aren’t too chunky or heavy to wear either. I think 12 months would be the maximum you could get out of a pair of shoes before a child’s feet grew too big. H’s feet remained pretty stable for about that time recently, but as the end of term approached his feet seemed to sprout. So how do they build in the strength to last that long? Well there’s reinforced heels and seams to prevent splitting through stamping or playground activities. They are made from Permair® leather which is a breathable performance leather. It looks good, but is reflexible enough to be comfortable. Flexible injection moulded soles offer a hardwearing performance; they are also non-slip and non-marking. Treads are constructed using a “strobel” technique where the upper is placed into a mould and the sole is then injected around it creating one unit without the need for any gluing. This not only creates a really strong bond but offers additional flexibility, perfect for kids who like to be active.
Treads come in a range of 8 different styles and sizes to suit boys aged 6 to 16. There’s plenty of choice and in H’s size he could either go for laceups or slip ons. This was a bit of a step into the dark for us as H has previously used velcro fastenings, this is partly because he struggles with laces due to problems with the strength in his hands and partly convenience. I wasn’t sure we wanted to cope with laces for school shoes at the same time as starting secondary, although I think we might need to have trainers and football/rugby boots with laces for school. So we went for the Monaco slip on and I’m glad we did as they are really easy to put on and comfortable for H to wear. I think they look really smart too, in fact much smarter than velcro fastening ones as they velcro always ends up picking up bits of thread (and fur in our house from the cats).
Another feature we liked about Treads was the dual fit technology. We have struggled in the past with width fittings as H measures up smaller, but something about his foot means that he often actually needs a wider size – not sure why this happens, but we’ve had to go up a width fitting in this shoe shop many times. With Treads it’s easier though as you simply try the shoe on as it comes out of the box. If it fits then all is good, but if not you can adjust the fitting by removing the orange EVA foot bed to convert to the wider fit option. Removing the foot bed also gives more depth, making dual fit footwear ideal should you wish to use orthotics. H was ok as it happens without any adjustment, but it gave me confidence in ordering that this feature exists.
We really liked Treads school shoes and I think they will do a good job. I’ll update in a few months to let you know how they are getting on.
I have great news for readers too as I have a pair of school shoes available for one lucky reader to win. How useful would that be? Enter via the Gleam widget below.
Competition Terms and Conditions
1. No bulk, third-party or automated entries.
2. Entrants must be aged 18 years or older and resident in the UK.
3. The winners will be chosen by a random draw.
4. Promoter is responsible for fulfilling the prize and full contact details of the winner will be passed onto the promoter.
5. Competition closes on 5th August 2018.
We already love these – long wearing too
I love the pic, he looks so happy in his new shoes. School shoes for boys can be a bit of a pain can’t it? There’s so little choice if you want smart but not too boring. These look great though.
They look really smart! Sometimes school shoes look a bit boring and ‘uncool’, but I can’t see him going wrong with these. Especially with a 12 month warranty!!
They look really nice! And you don’t mind paying a bit extra for quality shoes. I like the idea of the dual fit and the solid insole. H looks like he loves them! I hope you manage to get the rest of his school uniform without too much trouble!
H looks very smart in this photo!!
My son is also moving to secondary school in September – growing so fast!
These shoes look lovely – I need new ones for my son too so will take a look!
Sounds just like we need for our son. He is in a 5.5/6.!! If thats the size you have.
I’d love to win a pair for my youngest son thanks!
This would be great.. I dread buying school shoes it is always a fortune with 4 children.
This would be great for my son.
they look to be good quality shoes which is a must with growing feet
My son would love these, he too is about to go up to “big school” and they have very strict rules re uniforms, these would be perfect and look so easy to wear too
Brilliant prize. So practical, with need to prepare for school.
My Grandson would love them
Your son looks very dapper in his suit.
really smart, fab shoes!
Count me in!
Very smart, fab prize!
If they last 12 months they have to be a bargain.
Good quality shoes, which are so needed with boys
great for my nephew thank you, lovely smart shoes
My son is growing out of school shoes so quickly, these would be great!
They look lovely and smart (very grown up) would be interesting to see if they could withstand my son, he’s world class and destroying his school shoes
Love to win a pair for my niece
fantastic prize be great for my grandaughter
This would be awesome, save me some much-needed money lol!
They look super smart & stylish…. Perfect for my son who’s starting secondary school in September and worrying proper shoes might look babyish 🙂
What a great giveaway and something that would really help people out.
Look good, now its which grandson would get these
These shoes would be lovely to go back to school in September.
They look super smart & stylish…. Perfect for my son who’s starting secondary school in September and worrying proper shoes might look babyish
Looks nice and smart but good quality too.
this is an excellent money saving prize
Very smart shoes!
I always spend a bit more on school shoes. The kids wear them all day it’s important that they are comfy as well as smart. These look like they tick both boxes!
They look really smart!
these shoes look really comfy
perfect for going back to school
These look great – ideal for school and fashionable
Gorgeous pic! I’m the same as you my eldest is off to secondary school in Sept! He’s really looking forward to it
What super shoes and what a fantastic prize too.
id love to win these for my nephew max
This is a great prize, always good to save a bit of cash!
Great prize! Perfect for my little Evander. Thank you.
I need to buy my son some school shoes for his first year at secondary too. I like the sound of the warranty and the size range as he is a size 6 already!
great value for money perfect for school
My son would love this!
very useful,practical prize
Thus such a great and useful prize x Thanks for the chance.
Great giveaway would love to win this
Amazing to have a warranty on them. Some the big brands (that I won’t name…!) most definitely don’t last that long!
Thanks for the great prize and competition. Good luck everyone!
These sound perfect, my six year old son seems to destroy his school shoes.
these shoes sound great, really robust and nice looking too
I’ve got 2 grandsons starting primary school in September so this prize would be great to win
I love the sound of the 12-month indestructible guarantee! We had to buy both boys new shoes halfway through the year because they were so badly scuffed!
These would help me for September. One less thing to worry about.