Appointment : Courtney Brain , 16 , was taken out of lessons when she visited her GP for treatment . A straight-A schoolgirl was given a detention for missing half an hour of lessons for an emergency appointment with her GP , her mother claimed yesterday . Courtney Brain , 16 , was taken out of school at Skegness Academy when she visited her GP for treatment for a water infection . But she was stunned upon her return to class in Lincolnshire to be told she must make up the missed time for the ‘ unauthorised absence ’ . Her mother Jane Burnham , 50 , criticised the ‘ mind-boggling ’ decision last Wednesday to punish Courtney - who she claimed has a 98 per cent attendance record , although the school put this figure at 91 per cent - and accused the Academy of being ‘ petty and unreasonable ' . Mrs Burnham , who runs a hotel in the town , said : ‘ I was gobsmacked . My daughter has never been in trouble before . She is expected to get straight A*s in her exams and helps out after school with extracurricular activities . 'She is not a problem child , she works hard and this was the only appointment I could get . Trying to see your GP around here can be a nightmare and I ’ ll always try and get an appointment after school . But on this occasion she couldn ’ t , so you take it when you can . 'She was only out of lessons for half an hour . It wasn ’ t like she was round the back of the bike sheds having a cigarette or going on a shopping spree . Then it would be different . 'She had a water infection for which she needed antibiotics - and I find the decision to give her detention mind-boggling . Concern : Skegness Academy ( above ) in Lincolnshire claimed the detention was to give Courtney , whose mother runs a hotel in the seaside town , the best chance possible of doing well in her exams in the summer . ‘ Water infections can get worse so it was important to go to the doctor as soon as she could . I think it very petty and unreasonable for her to be punished in this way . I am not happy at all . 'We were gone half an hour , that ’ s all she was missing . It ’ s mind boggling . It ’ s disgusting really. ’ The school claimed the detention was to give Courtney the best chance possible of doing well in her exams in the summer . But Jane Mrs Burnham who runs the Carmelle Hotel with husband Trevor , 53 , said she did not think the extra half-hour revision will ultimately make any difference to her overall grades . Detention : Courtney ( pictured ) was told she must make up the missed time for the 'unauthorised absence ' She added : ‘ I think the extra half an hour really would not make that much difference especially as she has already done all her coursework and practical work . GP visit : Courtney had a water infection for which she needed antibiotics last Wednesday . ‘ It is just revising for her English and maths GCSE now . It is not as though she makes a habit of missing school for doctor ’ s appointments , it was a one off . 'Courtney ’ s attendance is 98 per cent , which is above what the school requires and she teaches the younger kids dance after school anyway . She was left upset by this and like she had done something really wrong. ’ The girl 's attendance figure was contested by the school , which insisted it was 91.2 per cent - below the national average . Principal Elizabeth Silvester said letters were sent out last month in response to a growing concern about the number of sixth-form students missing vital lessons due to medical appointments . She said : ‘ As a matter of course , we request that students make any routine appointments out of school hours . 'Where this is not possible , we request that students make up any time that they have lost . ‘ We want to ensure students complete all the work for their relevant subjects in order to give themselves the best chance of succeeding in their forthcoming examinations. ’ Skegness Academy caters for 1,191 pupils aged 11 to 18 and was given a rating of ‘ good ’ by Ofsted in its last inspection in October 2012 .
Courtney Brain left Courtney Brain to visited her GP for treatment . She was later told to make up missed time for 'unauthorised absence ' Mother criticises decision to punish her daughter as 'mind-boggling ' School claims detention was to give her best chance of good grades .