Parents who spent £109 on Dr Martens furious as school ban 'unsuitable' shoes

14 September 2021, 12:32

Longcroft School has angered parents over their school uniform policy. Picture: Google Maps/Dr Martens

By Alice Dear

The school has come under fire after they told parents they cannot send their kids into school wearing Dr Martens.

Parents of children who attend Longcroft School in Hull have been left fuming after they were told Dr Martens were not 'suitable' school uniform – after they spent over £100 on them.

The feud started when the school put a pair of black leather shoes into the 'banned' footwear list and later banned leather Dr Martens shoes altogether.

However, parents who had already forked out around £109 for a pair for their children were not going down without a fight.

One mum told Hull Live: "I bought these plain black leather shoes that have no brand labels on them for my daughter, I think they are safe to wear for science but she was told they are unsuitable. Instructions regarding school shoes need to be clearer."

The school told parents they could no longer put their children in Dr Marten shoes. Picture: Google Maps

Another claimed that she had contacted a teacher to ask about the shoes before she purchased them, and was given the green light before later finding out they were banned from the uniform.

One parent suggested that there was no correlation between which shoes are worn and their children's grades, arguing: "Maybe if they can show me that my child wearing different shoes from what he has now makes a genuine difference to his grades, I would considering wasting more money on another pair of shoes."

These are an example of Dr Marten school shoes for girls, although we do not know exactly which ones were banned. Picture: Dr Martens

The school's uniform policy changed last month, and parents are calling for more clarity around the rules.

According to reports, parents said they were given no clear guidelines on what shoes they could and could not send their children to school in.

Some more adamant parents are refusing to change their children's shoes, and said they will continue to send them in with the Dr Martens.

One said: "All the parents in the country are facing the same issue, we should band together and continue to send the kids wearing whatever shoes they already have."

Taking a look on Longcroft School's uniform policy online, they state that uniform expectations must be met at all times, including a plain white shirt with top button fastened, a Longcroft School tie, a Longcroft V-necked jumper, black trousers or skirt and 'plain black shoes'.

Items banned for students are hoodies, denim jackets, leather jackets, acrylic nails and any piercings other than a pair of stud earrings.