A six-year-old girl from Liverpool has been left heartbroken after being excluded from a special Christmas treat with Santa due to missing a single day of school with tonsillitis. Georgia Corness, a pupil at St Margaret's Anfield Church of England Primary School, was the only child in her class not invited to have cookies with Santa because of the absence.
Her mother, Natalie Corness, 34, expressed disgust at the school's policy, stating that Georgia thought she had done something wrong. The school had informed parents that children needed perfect attendance between November 25 and December 15 to qualify for the treat. Georgia, who suffers from recurrent tonsillitis and is awaiting surgery, missed one Friday after attending the nativity while unwell.
Another parent, Jenna Sergeant, 31, also criticised the school after her twins, Iyla and Lucah, were excluded due to two sick days. She said the children feared they would not receive presents from Santa and had talked about moving schools. The school defended its policy, noting that attendance had risen from 92% to 97% and that Santa would visit every classroom so no child missed out entirely.
A school spokeswoman said allowances had been made for medical appointments and late arrivals, and that the majority of parents supported the initiative. However, Ms Corness called the policy 'disgusting' and lacking in Christmas spirit, particularly for children with medical conditions.
