Taking out of school for vacation

[cecilyb]

There's a possibility we may move to Singapore from the US in Jan/Feb, 2014, and our daughter will be 3.5 yrs old at that time. I've just started the process of looking at school options so I'm not leaning towards one international vs another, but one question I have and haven't been able to find an answer to is what is the general policy on taking kids out for a day or two for a vacation? One of the reasons we're considering this move is to be able to travel around Asia. Are most of the schools very strict about attendance or are they lenient, especially at her age starting school there at 4 yrs old.

[PNGMK]

Local schools are strict... Int'l ones vary with who you are with but less so than local schools. You should ask for make up work for the child to do while travelling.

[cecilyb]

Just because I've seen the most references to the Singapore American and Stamford International Schools, do you know what their policies are for vacation?

Probably a silly question, but since this is our first child and have no experience with school systems yet, how much school work would she actually need to make up at 4 yrs old?

[PNGMK]

Just because I've seen the most references to the Singapore American and Stamford International Schools, do you know what their policies are for vacation?

Probably a silly question, but since this is our first child and have no experience with school systems yet, how much school work would she actually need to make up at 4 yrs old?

a 4yo you'd only need to read to her.... IMO.

[Hannieroo]

They would see the odd day to travel as equally educational. There are loads of public holidays here and flights are short so you might not need to.

[Steve1960]

This has been a hot topic in the UK over the years. Schools dont like it but parents do it (for up to 2 weeks for a summer holiday) because the travel companies ratchet up their prices as soon as the UK schools close for the summer.

In the overall scheme of things does it really matter, at any age? If kids have time off school for sickness they have to catch up when they recover.

A few days for you will not matter especially considering the age of your child.

[cecilyb]

Thanks for all the input. I completely agree that the travel itself is educational and that's part of the reason we're considering moving there. We want the opportunity to expose her to cultures and countries more easily than we can flying from the US each time. Where we live in the US, a lot of schools will consider a vacation day an unapproved absence, and if you have too many, the parent faces legal problems.