I can not believe that as of September I will have two children in Senior school. For the boys that means a change in school shoes. Now they need to be more grown up and have laces. However, as much as the boys’ new school shoes need to look grown up they have to survive and be suitable for growing feet. So Ecco has sent us some of their back to school range to try out.
I am going to admit that senior school is a whole new ball game to primary – the uniform policy is stricter, but the boys also have quite firm opinions in what they will wear. As a mum, I have a few things that are really important to me including value for money, age appropriateness, quality and comfort. Style isn’t always my first consideration as it is the kids!
School shoes need to meet a lot of different criteria at this age. The boys want them to look like the office style shoes MadDad wears for work, however, he doesn’t play football during his lunch hour or during his breaks! I need their shoes to be supportive to still growing feet (the boys are currently both a 38 and still growing) and also stand the test of time.
MadDad is a big fan of Ecco and has been wearing their shoes and boots for years and maxi was delighted when they asked him to take a look at their back to school range #ECCOBacktoSchool.
Now if you have tweens then you know that shopping with tween boys is not fun. In fact, it is something that I avoid at all costs. So instead of visiting our local Ecco shop, we decided to use their online shopping facility. It was simple and completely pain-free. We used the filter options to sort by size, colour and category. There is even a handy kids size guide to walk you through making sure you get the best fit.
Maxi opted for the Ecco Cohen which is a grown up pair of leather shoes with a flexible sole making them perfect for play, exploration, walking and smart enough for any sartorially inclined tween! They are lightweight and extremely comfortable.
At £60 they are not inexpensive, but over the years I have learned to think about cost per wear when it comes to school shoes and Mini’s shoes this year were actually the same price. I will ensure that I update this page over the months so you can see just how they hold up.
Not one to be left out ECCO also sent me a pair of their new Ecco Soft 1 and all of a sudden I understand the husbeasts love of Ecco. Seriously these are lightweight, comfortable and perfect for the summer.
Normally I would go for red or some other wild colour, but I let the boys decide on the colour and they chose this fab navy blue and they have not been off my feet since I got them!
Maxi decided to put his new Ecco’s to the test and took them out for a quick scoot and they got the thumbs up (yes all wheels are off the ground there)!
Top tips for choosing school shoes for tweens and teens
- Look for shoes that are flexible, but stylish.
- Take into account that the school may insist on laces from a certain age.
- Look for shoes that are easy to keep clean and insist that your child gets involved in looking after them (even if you have to polish them again at first).
- Make sure you insist that they try them on with their regular school socks.
- Don’t make them go to the store, take advantage of online shopping.
- Leather shoes are breathable and really will help with foot odour – active feet are prone to perspiration.
Disclosure: I’m working with ECCO and BritMums promoting the #ECCOBacktoSchool campaign about the milestone of back-to-school shoe shopping with your children. Visit Ecco Shoes to see these quality shoes. This is a paid sponsored post but all thoughts are my own.
Is it wrong that I think MadDad should start playing football in his lunch break? These shoes look great: comfy and great quality.
I am dreading getting shoes for Zak this year. He really needs something very durable, but likes a sort of wedding shoe style, which just can’t take the rough play. Ecco look great though, I shall take a look. x
I can’t believe how grown-up your boys are now! Some really good tips here. Bookmarking this one for when F gets a bit older. Time goes too fast!
Ohhh they look so smart. I am going school shoe shopping for the first time soon but my boy is only just starting school. I hope they have a great start to the new term 😊
I’m sure they’ll be super comfy. I bought some Ecco shoes in America about 7 years ago and I wore them to death. They were the most comfortable shoes I’ve ever worn. They lasted so well.
My son is starting reception this September so I might actually look at Ecco shoes since seeing this!
It’s sour first year buying school shoes and I’m putting it off for as long as I can for fear of a summer growth spurt. I love the shoes you’ve chosen. Flexibility is definitely the key!
I do love Ecco shoes! I worked in a shoe shop as a teenager and remember the quality of the shoes. These look great! Pip is starting in reception class this year so I have many years of buying school shoes in front of me. Thanks for the tips! 🙂 Polly
I have only heard good things when about Ecco shoes. My eldest is going into Year 1 in September so high school feels a milllion years away but I know it’ll come round so quickly.
These shoes look so stylish. You wouldn’t know that they weren’t both leather on both upper and lower, but I agree, it’s so important for the kids to have shoes they can run around in. They’ll be sitting behind a desk soon enough!
Also, love those navy shoes you’re wearing. Seriously, that’s such a cool shade that you can imagine wearing with just about anything.
x
the online shopping bit sounds magnificent – my son outgrew his school shoes 3 weeks before the end of term (blessed) and as we don’t have shoe shops near us I ended up trying to measure both kids feet with a tape measure – it was a nightmare!
These look like great school shoes. I had not seen the boys range but need to check them out now. I love the navy ones you picked, I went for red 🙂
These look really smart. Thanks for the tips, Monkey is only just going into Yr 1 so I have a little while until I need to worry but I know it will come round quickly. He looks very happy with his new shoes. Hope the transition goes well.
I’m looking for new leather breathable shoes for my sweaty-footed just-turned-12 yr old. Have just had a good look at Ecco – only to discover that they appear to only make their school shoes up to a size 40. I think my son needs about a 43 – even his sister whose feet stopped growing age 11 or so would need a 41 or 42. Their men’s shoes are completely out of my price range! (expecting the next pair of shoes to only last a couple of terms the rate he’s growing …)
Have they any reason for not extending their ranges into teenage sizes?
Some great tips for choosing the right school shoes for Tweens. Thanks for posting.