A corrupt head teacher and her secretary have been jailed after defrauding their deprived school of £500,000.

Michelle Hollingsworth systematically syphoned off cash from Annie Lennard Primary in The Oval, Smethwick, for five years – with the help of her secretary Deborah Jones.

The pair blew hundreds of thousands of pounds of the West Midlands’ school’s funds, buying designer goods while demanding staff splash out on their own supplies and refusing pay rises.

In one transaction, Hollingsworth spent £9,000 on re-upholstering furniture at her home while corrupt secretary Deborah Jones admitted her husband’s firm was paid around £74,000 for phantom work.

Hollingsworth, 55, and Jones, 57, used the school’s cheques and bogus purchase orders to make transactions, Wolverhampton Crown Court was told.

Prosecutor Mr Mark Jackson said the pair travelled hundreds of miles to exclusive boutiques and stores, while Hollingsworth told staff that the school had no money because the local authority had short-changed it, the Wolverhampton Express & Star reported.

Staff had to buy basic materials for pupils with their own money and saw a pay rise rejected on the grounds of balancing the books Mr Jackson said on behalf of Sandwell Council.

Hollingsworth spent more than £2,000 of the cash-strapped school’s money on two oil paintings, Mr Jackson said, adding: ‘When questioned she seemed to say that she bought them for the school but kept them at her home.’

Hollingsworth who was jailed for five and a half years – while Jones was handed a four year three month sentence – made 180 visits to boutique stores.

The pair plundered more school money in kick back deals during which tradesmen were paid for work that was either overpriced or invented and shared the profit with one or both women.

The 55-year-old head teacher’s builder husband Joseph, aged 58, was also imprisoned for a year for his part in the scheme and an attempt by him to pervert the course of justice.

The court heard that Hollingsworth, from Cannock, was responsible for the school losing at least £513,000 while Jones, of Cradley Heath, was involved in at least £439,000 of the loss.

Judge Simon Ward, sitting at Wolverhampton Crown Court, told the disgraced head: ‘You had great responsibility at the school, were in a position of great trust in charge of the finances to ensure best value for the school.

‘It wasn’t your money and it had to be spent wisely not generously on yourself.’

The judge continued: ‘You abused your position of power, trust and responsibility to become the lynch pin for all this offending. You amassed a small network of people who each became involved in your dishonest scheme.

‘As a result, the school is having to rebuild itself, not with bricks and mortar but with different financial procedures and other changes to raise morale from its parlous state caused by the two people running the school turning out to be criminals.’

Jones admitted creating over £70,000 worth of work which had supposedly been done by her labourer husband. She also pleaded guilty to conspiring with the head teacher to defraud Sandwell Council. She was also convicted of two further charges of conspiring to defraud with other workmen.

Hollingsworth was found guilty of conspiring to defraud with five other people and an attempt to pervert the course of justice by trying to get one of those involved – carpenter Robert McKeown – to take all the blame for his involvement in their deal that involved payment for non-existent work that ran up a further £40,000 loss for the school.

McKeown, aged 35 and from Hednesford, pleaded guilty and gave evidence against the head at her trial. He received a six month jail sentence suspended for two years with 120 hours unpaid work.

Sports teacher Nathan Cooper, aged 28, from Cannock, who was convicted of conspiring with Jones and Mrs Hollingsworth to defraud the school and Sandwell Council out of at least £17,000, was given a 14 month prison term suspended for two years with 120 hours unpaid work.

Kitchen fitter Stephen Roberts, 60 and from Shareshill, was found guilty of being involved in the conspiracy and laundering money for Hollingsworth.

He was given a nine month jail term suspended for two years with 120 hours unpaid work.

Michael Dewsbury, aged 54, who lives next door to the Hollingsworth family, was convicted of conspiring to pervert the course of justice, and given a three month prison sentence suspended for 18 months.

He was also ordered to do 120 hours unpaid work and pay £10,000 costs.

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