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Tweak to my @8 ...

Reportedly teacher meets Head for naughtiness (8)

Money is the root of all evil (8)

This requires equating "chief" (essential) to "the root of all" (fundamental) which may not work but that's why jono gets the big bucks.

Trouble for multi-talented criminal getting beheaded (8)

I'm back at school - specifically to have noisy high jinks (8)

(If you don’t like my interpretation of “F” then..)

I'm back at school - specifically to engage in loud raucous behaviour (8)

Can anyone explain SimpleSimon’s post @5 please?

Meh! Sci-fi novel is source of annoyance (8)

Hi jono,
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chief_of_the_Secret_Intelligence_Service
The link should "justify" the wordplay if 6' was inserted between the s & c of mischief
I think box is a DBE, a type of piggy bank.

Oops,
the i & s of mischief.

Ginge, Jono.

Well spotted! “Box” refers to the Intelligence Services. We thus started with MI 5’S CHIEF. This gives “C”, the single letter assigned to the DG of MI5. So with the number removed we end up with MISCHIEF.