A 'MAVERICK' primary school head who plundered almost £20,000 in bogus overtime payments has been spared an immediate jail term and ordered to do unpaid work for the community.

Simon Burrell, who completely turned round the fortunes of Ruskin County Junior School, will never be a head again as a result of his conviction, a judge was told.

And while the 42-year-old's barrister said his client will never hold the top job again, he added he was continuing to teach, but in a school not run by a local authority.

Burrell regularly paid himself for carrying out one to one tutoring of pupils at the Stratton school, Swindon Crown Court was told.

He also forged signatures on claim forms that were handed to the borough council to get the illicit payment, which were spent doing up his house.

He accepted he had pocketed £19,697.34p through fraud between the start of January 2011 the end of May, 2013, for one-to-one tutoring.

And he also admitted he had forged signatures on claim forms during the same 29 month period.

Burrell, of Rawdon Way, Faringdon, pleaded guilty to one count of fraud and one of forgery.

Tim Hills, defending, said his client had completely turned round the standards of the school running after school and holiday classes for the children.

"He considered himself to be entitled to payment for these matters, when he wasn't, which is why he put the claims in. That is why the monies were paid.

"He will never be a head teacher again after he pleaded guilty. He is passionate about teaching, he continues to teach.

"He has the support of his head teacher. The school is not run by the local authority but is an academy so there is rather more autonomy."

Mr Hills said a reference from one of Ruskin's governors told how Burrell turned it from a failing school on the verge of special measures into a 'flagship'.

"He said 'Ruskin Junior was a failing school and appeared to have no one really running it. There had been no full-time head teacher for years'," said Mr Hills.

"He goes on to say as far as Mr Burrell's position is concerned he appeared to be in a hurry to get things done, which he had to do.

"When Mr Burrell took up the post he said the governing body were not supportive of his plans. He said 'Simon was up against it. He was a bit of a maverick'."

Mr Hills said that when he took up the role just 15 per cent of the pupils were making above the normal progress while half were falling below.

When he left four years later 53 per cent were above average and just 17 per cent were not reaching the expected standard.

"This is a case of a dedicated and passionate teacher who entered a failing school. He turned it round completely so it became a flagship," said Mr Hills.

At a hearing last month Burrell admitted the offences after Judge Tim Mousley QC told him he would not send him straight to prison for what he had done.

Giving his reasons for the ruling the judge said: "There is abuse of responsibility, the period of time it went on for, it was for financial gain, a degree of planning.

"There is that forgery which I regard as a serious feature. I regard it as being higher culpability for those reasons.

"The mitigating features looking at what is set out: obviously he has no previous convictions, a man of good character, of exemplary conduct, and has shown remorse.

"The personal mitigation in the way in which the school improved. His dedication. Giving up his time to do quite a lot of extracurricular stuff.

"In the light of all the mitigating factors that I have mentioned and the fact that he can pay it all back in full I would be inclined to suspend the sentence."

Passing sentence he added: "I have heard more from Mr Hills about the work you did at the school but that was something I had already taken into account."

He imposed a 12-month jail term, suspended for two years, and ordered he do 200 hours of unpaid work for the community.

Before Ruskin, Burrell was deputy head at Lydiard Millicent and head at King William Street primary schools.