Figure 1.--Sandals became very popular for school wear in England after World War I, The most popular style was the "T"strap sandal. We first commonly dsee them in the inter-War vyears. They were so widely eorm at school that thery became called school sandals.

We note a range of different footwear types worn at English schools. These sandals became so common at primary school that they became referred to as school scandals. Various types of sandals were worn, but by far the most common were the close-toe "T" strap style with a single side strap. Some younger boys or girls wore redish-brown or blue sandals or double strap sandals. Clark's school sandals were a standard. Some private schools required them. They were not common at secondary schools, although until the 1970s some of the younger boys did wear them. Sandals are still widely worn in primary schools, but styles have changed. The center strap for boys' sandals is now commonly quite thick. Plimsols were worn for gym, but some primary schools allowed children to wear trendy smeakers (trainers). Some primary children wore wellies in wet weather. Many schools banned boots as foot wear when they became popular in the 1970s.

Brouges

A British reader t school during the 1970s tells us that he wore round tip brogues with leather soles. He says that they were quite common. He reports that they were the same type of brogues popular with the police. He isn't sure just why this was. the time.

High-top Shoes

Boys in the late 19th and early 20th century commonly wore high-top, heavy shoes looking rather like boots. I'm not sure what the proper name was for these shoes. They were very common in the late-19th and early 20th centuries. These seem to have been very common.

Loafers/Slip-ons

We notice many English boys wearing slip-on shoes or loafers. Many of the ones we noted were black. We did not notice the penny loafer style that was common in America. Slipons when allowed, appear to have been a popular choice for boys. They were easy to where and avoided the bother of constantly tieing shoe laces. We find that convenience is an important factor for boys when judging clothing. Not all schools permitted loafers, but quite a number did.

Oxfords

Black oxfords were a common footwear style. Regular black lace-up oxfords were used for dress wear or by older boys. Most schools required black shoes, but we see a few schools where with brown shoes as well. While boys could commonly wear sandals which were mostly brown, only a few schools allowed brown shoes. This varied from school to school. It was mostly the private schools or the secondary schools that had such regulations. Stte primary schools often did not have specific footwear regulations other than footwear was required. Many children wore sneakers rther than leather shoes. Generlly the private schools had more detailed footwear rules. At quite a few schools the boys wore sandals for eveyday use, but black oxfords when dressing up. Other schools gave the children the option of wearing black oxfords or sandals.

Plimsols

Another school standard was the plimsol. The Concise Oxford Dictionary defines the word 'plimsoll' (sometimes spelled 'plimsole') as 'a light rubber-soled canvas sports shoe' and notes that the word is specifically British. It was in America that this type of footwear was first developed. Rubber-soled footwear like plimsols were made possible by technical advances in the use of India rubber as it was called at the time. 'Plimsolls' was the term most widely used throughout the 20th century and is still current. The origin of the term is not entirely certain. It was especially common in gym class. Working class boys in the mid-20th century might also wear them to school. School plimsolls most commonly had, and have, canvas uppers in black or white. In the past, brown versions were also available; and today they are occasionally sold, at least in sizes for younger children, in navy.

School Sandals

Elementary-age boys after World War I often wore closed-toe brown "t" strap sandals, referred to as school sandals, for normal school wear. Various types of sandals were worn, but by far the most common were the close-toe "T" strap style. Some younger boys or girls wore redish-brown or blue sandals or double strap sandals. Clark's school sandals were a standard. Some private schools required them. Sandals are still widely worn, but the center strap is now commonly quite thick.

Side-zip Boots

A HBC reader tells us that sise-zip boots were very popular at his school in the 1970s. He writes, "... most lads wore side-zip boots that went up under the trousers.THe height would range anywhere from 6-17 inches. Sometimes the boots would have the famous platform supports or a stacked heel of some 2 and a half inches high with a wedged toe. Often, if the trousers would ride some way up the leg, on sitting down or lounging around , allowing high boot length to show, one would resemble a crewman from the Original Star Trek series ... !"

Sneakers/Trainers

We see boys at some primary schools wearing sneakers. We do not notice this until the late 1970s and 80s. Many primary schools and virtually all secondary schools did not permit them. These are not the plain plimsols used for gym, but the more trendy trainers. Maby biys wanyed to wear them rather than sandals. This was most common for the older primary boys.

Strap Shoes

We notice two types od strap shoes. One was the annkle strao shoes. The other type was the insteo strap strap shoe. We see the ankle style being worn xtensibely during the late-19th and early-20th century by yomger children and and older girls. We alsp see the instep-type, but mosr;y after Wororld War I. They do not seem to be a major school shoe until after World War I and the style that became widely used was the instep strap shoe. we see boyh boys and girls wering them, but only younger boys and not at school. This changed after World War I. The strap shoe became a school standard, but primarily for girls. It was not the only school stykle, but was perhaos the primary one for girls. We see younger boys weating th, especiallu nin pres chools. Older boys wore svhool msandals, essenhtially a strap shoe done with a central post. Girls also wore this style. We see younger boys wearing the basic strap shoe thriugh the the 1940s. It was worn as both a dress and play shoes. The tyoe of leather and color was the only differentiate, not the desgn. This was the case fir both biys and gurks. The only grender dufference . was the age vof boys and girls wearing them. After the 1950s it was rare to see noys wearing themm even at pre-schools. The school sandal, however was very common. One of thg reasons strap shoes and sandals were common with younger children is that there were no pesky shoe laces to tie. This was especially helpful at school without mom handy to tie the pesky laces.

Wellington Boots

Wellington boots or wellies were commonly worn at English schools in inclemet weather. We do not yet have details about wellies as schoolwear. We do have a general English wellie page.

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Created: 7:29 PM 10/5/2006
Last updated: 2:34 AM 3/26/2020