Showing posts with label School. Show all posts
Showing posts with label School. Show all posts

Friday 8 September 2017

Back to School with Term Footwear - A Review

We have previously had some great experiences with Term Footwear, having reviewed both a pair of wellington boots and school shoes in the past. We have been thoroughly impressed on both occasions and with Riley starting reception year in school, it made them my 'go to' brand for a pair of great quality shoes for him.

I have grown to love the brand this year, after being introduced to Term Footwear back in January. Both the wellies and my daughter's school shoes have been heavily tested for both comfort and wear over the last few months and so it is a brand that I have come to trust in terms of quality.

One aspect that I really love about Term Footwear's school shoes, is that they are also really stylish. So not only do the shoes provide comfortable footwear for my children, but they also look great too. I usually ask my children to pick which styles they like and sometimes can be a bit unsure about their choices, but I loved all of the styles on offer on the New Brands website. I sat down with Riley one afternoon and we went through all the different options. Initially he liked a pair with laces, but I explained to him that this could be a bit tricky when needing to get changed for PE and that he would also need to learn to tie them himself. We therefore began to look at the velcro designs and Riley settled upon the Hoddle Double shoes which looked great. I placed the order for the shoes in a size 10 and immediately received an order confirmation email. The following day, I received another email confirming that Riley's shoes were on their way already and would be with us very soon.

A couple of days later the shoes arrived and Riley couldn't wait to get the box opened and try them on. The box, like on previous occasions, was smart and stylish. It is also compact enough to keep in your wardrobe, giving you a handy place to store the shoes when not in use.


Riley immediately opened the box and had a good look at the shoes, he said he was going to feel really big and grown up wearing smart shoes to school and he couldn't wait to try them on. Everything from the materials used, to the stitching around the shoe, seemed to be of excellent quality. I particularly liked the subtle soft padded collar around the heel area which would give him support throughout the day and also prevent any rubbing or blisters.


The Hoddle Double shoes are manufactured from high grain leather and also have flexible thermo rubber soles. Riley moves so much during the day that it was important for him to have a shoe that could move easily and comfortably whether he is walking, running or even climbing. As you can see from the picture below, the shoes also have a really good grip which I am hoping will help to prevent any slips or trips in the playground.


The insole inside the shoe is really well cushioned and he said that they were just as comfy inside as his trainers. My children's school shoes don't only just see action in the playground, so it was important to me that the shoes were also comfortable enough to walk 2 miles a day in to school and back, as well as being able to withstand activities in the park after school. Riley was obviously more than happy to put the shoes to the test both in school and at the park!


Overall we have been really impressed with these shoes. Riley has just completed his first week in reception and the shoes have caused him no discomfort whatsoever. He has told me that they are really comfy and that he also enjoys wearing them. He never seems in too much of rush to kick them off after school and there have been no complaints at all about any rubbing whilst on the walk to or from school. We both feel that they look really smart and love the sleek and trendy design, as well as being easy to put them on and take them off. The RRP of these shoes is £39.99 which I think is great value for money and I am very confident that they will last him for a lengthy time, until they are outgrown.

About Term Footwear

Term Footwear is a new UK brand registered in 2016 by a husband and wife team, who have over six years worth of experience in importing and selling children's footwear brands within the UK. They had a desire to create great shoes and boots that children would actually want to wear and initially launched the brand with their own range of wellington boots that are available in a variety of funky colours which are purple, navy, green, pink, red and blue.

Term Footwear now supply a great range of school shoes to the UK market and all the shoes are manufactured in accordance with EU standards. The brand has concentrated on providing school shoes that are of a great design, comfort and fit and they are available in both traditional and modern styles.

The brand has also recently put together a great video called 'A Day in your Shoes' which you can view here: A Day in your Shoes by Term Footwear - YouTube


Disclaimer: We were provided with a complimentary pair of Hoddle Double School Shoes for the purpose of providing and honest review and opinion of the product. All opinions and photographs are my own unless otherwise stated.

Wednesday 6 September 2017

How I Prepare for Back to School!

After an amazing six weeks together, September finally arrived along with the return of "Back to School". I understand that for a lot of people it can be a relief, especially when you work full time and need to arrange childcare, but I absolutely love the summer holidays and so I was a little sad to see the kids go back to school on Monday.

Riley has just entered reception, Ben has gone into Year 5 and Emma is now in Year 6 which is her final year in primary school. It still feels like yesterday that I was taking her to nursery and cannot believe just how quickly the time flies by.

Although we have had plenty of fun over the summer holidays, it is also a time for "Back to School" preparation. New uniforms, shoes, coats, bags & stationary all need to be arranged, as well as planning ahead for snack money, dinner money or packed lunches and school trips. I know that both Emma and Ben will both have the opportunity to go on a residential trip this year and from past experience I know that all classes usually go on at least one school day trip before Christmas so I try to budget and plan ahead for these eventualities as well as making sure my budget covers everything that they need for returning back to school.



School Uniform

Our school has recently introduced a new school logo and although they are phasing the old school uniform out over a couple of years, I decided that I would like them to return in September with the new clothing. We were made aware of the costs a few months ago and so back in May, I made a list of everything that they would need. I checked the school uniform list carefully and made sure that I made a note about which items needed to have the school logo and which items didn't. Every year I always save £30 a month towards school uniforms so that each August I have £360 so spend on clothing and equipment without feeling the pinch. I increased this ever so slightly from May to August to £35 as the new supplier of the uniform was slightly more expensive than the previous.

Once I know that I have my budget sorted, I can then begin to shop around for the non logo items such as shirts & blouses, skirts, trousers, & joggers. I have purchased supermarket items in the past, and still do buy school shirts, blouses and socks from our nearest Asda. However, when it comes to skirts, trousers and joggers, I have found that they can wear quite quickly, so usually try to find my nearest stockist of the Trutex brand. I have found Trutex to be of really good quality in the past and that their trousers seem to withstand any playground test that my son Ben puts them through.

They have put together a handy back to school guide this year that features advice from experts, a handy school uniform checklist and top tips on preparing for back to school. This can be found here:

Trutex Back to School Guide

School Shoes

It is so important to get well fitting shoes for your children for when they head back to school. A child will be wearing these shoes for an average of 7 hours a day, as well as running around in them at play times, so it is vital that they fit well and are comfortable. Some stores offer a foot measuring service to ensure that you buy the perfect size, but a lot of online retailers also now have a handy print out guide that helps you to get the right size even when choosing to purchase online.

Back in July we reviewed some Bella Brogue Lace Up shoes from Term Footwear. My daughter was really impressed with them and they were so comfortable for her during the day. In addition to wearing them in school time, we walk just over two miles a day to get to school and back and so it is always important to me that they don't rub or cause any discomfort during the walk to school. As my daughter has had no complaints about her shoes at all, it made Term Footwear my "go to" brand when looking at new school shoes for Riley. As he is starting reception it would be the first time that he has had to wear smart shoes all day and I also know how active he is at play times, so I knew that they would be the ideal choice for him when considering his comfort.


Riley hasn't mastered the skill of tying his own shoe laces yet, so a velcro fastening was a must have for me, to make sure that he had no difficulties taking his shoes on and off for PE lessons, or worrying about tying his laces. After having a good look through the choices we finally settled on the Hoddle Double shoes, which look fantastic.

Term Footwear have also put together a great little video called 'A Day in your Shoes' which gives a true reflection of what happens in a school day and how Term shoes are the ideal footwear. It also features animated captions explaining the benefits of Term School Shoes. The video can be found below:



School Bags & Stationary

Riley doesn't really have much need for a school bag in reception, instead just opting for his lunch bag and school branded book bag. However Emma and Ben both like to have sports branded bags which as most parents know, can be quite expensive. We always have a look online to try and get a good deal, but the last couple of years, I have found our local Nike Outlet store to offer the best deals and value for money with their bags costing around £12 as opposed to around the £20 mark in other stores.

None of my children actually require stationary at the moment as this is provided by the school, but Emma likes to have some of her own pens in her bag for writing and drawing. She loves art and likes to do some sketches, if it is a rainy day and they have to stay in the classroom, so we do buy a few things for her to keep in her bag. We find that Asda & B&M to have a great range of stationary at affordable prices. I remember my mum always having to take me to an actual stationary shop to purchase mine and it costing a small fortune, but nowadays most large stores seem to stock a great range of stationary in the run up to back to school.

School Trips

The last thing you want after spending a small fortune on uniform is a letter on the first day telling you about an upcoming school trip that needs payment by the following week. With Emma and Ben only being a year apart, I have found that a lot of their school trips are the same and that they often go together, so it means double expenditure for me. Luckily I have learnt to prepare for this and put aside £20 a month for school trips. This means that I never have to worry about money for school trips or deposits for residentials and this certainly takes a lot of the pressure off. On the first day of school this week they both came home with a letter for a trip taking place next week, that they also need a costume for. Although I hadn't planned ahead for the need for a costume, it does mean that I have been able to pay for their school trip without any issue.

Saying Goodbye at the Gate

Well this is one thing that I am never prepared for and cry on the first day back every single year! This year has been particularly hard, as its the first time in 10 years that I haven't had a little sidekick with me all day. I am already missing building train tracks with Riley & our little trips to the shop for sneaky treats whilst Emma and Ben were in school. It is definitely going to take some getting used to!

I hope everyone's Back to School days have gone well, and that your children have a fantastic school year in their new classes!


Disclaimer: This post was written of my own accord and I have not been asked to include any brands mentioned, or received any additional payment. Opinions and thoughts are my own unless otherwise stated.

Sunday 16 July 2017

Our Week - The Summer Holidays Are Almost Here!

Only four more days left in school for my children before the school summer holidays begin and I cannot wait! The summer holidays are one of my favourite times of the year as we get a full six weeks to spend together as a family and I love to be able to have the chance to travel around and experience some new adventures.

This last week we have been very busy finalising our arrangements for July and August and we have some fantastic places planned to feature on the blog. These currently range from the Lake District to Germany, Edinburgh to Spain and Milton Keynes to Snowdonia with a few local North West & North Wales treats in between. 

Amongst all our planning though we have also had a very busy time with school reports, the school fair, sorting out the house and helping Mr. F get ready for his last Duke of Edinburgh Award trip for the school year. He has worked so hard to help get some great groups of children through their Bronze, Silver and Gold awards this year and so it will be nice for him to have a break with us and spend some quality time together.

Last Wednesday we visited the school fair which is held every year to help raise funds for our children's school. The staff, students and friends of the school team always do a great job of organising the fundraiser and every year there is always something new added for the children to enjoy. This year the local fire service were on hand to let children explore and sit inside a real fire engine and this was definitely the biggest highlight for Riley. He was so excited to sit in the back of the fire engine. There was also electric quad bike racing, wet sponge throwing and a great selection of stalls and games for everyone to enjoy.


On Friday both Emma and Ben received their school reports along with their test results and confirmation of who their teacher would be next year. I love report day as all the children at school run out so excited to ask their parents to open the envelope quickly so they know whose class they are going to be in. Then there is an excitable ten minutes where everyone runs around trying to find all their friends and check that they are in the same class. 

My daughter has stayed with the same group of friends since nursery and will be entering Year 6 when they return in September, so I was both happy and relieved to find out that she will be with the same group for her final year of primary school. Ben was delighted with his new class too and as for their test results, well I literally could not be prouder!

This next week sees the children take part in moving up day on Monday which is when they get to spend the morning in their new classes. Riley will also be participating in this as he will be moving from nursery to reception and he is so excited to be having his first school dinner with his friends tomorrow. The last day of school is Thursday and like every year the school hosts an end of year disco which my children are really looking forward to.

Overall, its been a busy but fun week and we are definitely ready for the summer break. We are all so excited to be visiting some wonderful places during the next couple of months and I cannot wait to share them all with you!