ALLEGATIONS that a school bursar fiddled the books by paying herself an extra �2,694 were thrown out by a jury this week after an eight-day trial.

The jurors acquitted Suzanne Mills, 38, of making unauthorised payments -�1,645.05 in October 2008 and �1,049 the following May - to herself while working at Christ The King Catholic Primary School, in Whitley.

The trial at Reading Crown Court heard the first payment was signed off by headteacher John Cosgrove, who appeared as a prosecution witness, and the second by his deputy Ben Tucker.

From the witness box, Mrs Mills said staff would tell her when they were due extra salary and she would add it to the list of monthly payments sent to payroll firm Moore Stephens.

The accountants would then send a back schedule and payslip summaries which would include any additional payments.

Mrs Mills added: "I would take a hard copy to the headteacher or assistant headteacher in a clear plastic wallet for them to sign.

"They would then hand it back to me or the secretary to be faxed to Moore Stephens."

Darren Sanat, defending, asked Mrs Mills if back schedules and pay slip summaries had to be signed before Moore Stephens would authorise the payments into staff bank accounts. She replied: "Yes, it had to be."

The first payment was for extra hours Mrs Mills had worked over the summer which she said were agreed by the governors, and the second was a backdated pay rise given to non-teaching staff which Mrs Mills said included her.

The court also heard of a troubled working relationship between Mrs Mills and Mr Cosgrove, starting in 2009 when she was asked by a governor about a private matter involving a staff member.

Mrs Mills, of Cherry Tree Grove, Wokingham, later overheard governors shouting at Mr Cosgrove for not telling them himself. Asked how relations were with Mr Cosgrove after that, Mrs Mills replied: "Not good."

She said another problem was her increasing workload, which culminated in Mr Cosgrove asking her to put together a safeguarding document, that had to include criminal record background checks on staff.

Mrs Mills said: "I knew it was important but I asked for help. I did not know what policies and procedures needed to go in.

"I asked Mr Cosgrove three times and he did not help me. He said we could fail Ofsted if that file was not complete."

She claimed there was also an issue about unpaid invoices which were eventually found on Mr Cosgrove's desk and at the end of 2009, the mum-of-two received a written

warning from the headteacher, prompting her to leave and file a grievance against him.

She was subsequently arrested and charged with fraud.