The man also claimed to be five years younger than he actually was.
A former teacher who lied about graduating from Cambridge University has been banned from teaching. A professional conduct panel meeting was held by the Teaching Regulation Agency to investigate allegations against Nicholas Martin.
A meeting on November 11, 2025, heard allegations that Mr Martin, 43, acted in an “unacceptable professional conduct” while head of sixth form at St Edwards School in Cheltenham. The panel also looked at “certain discrepancies” that appeared in his application for a deputy head post at the school.
The application, made on February 14, 2025, said that Mr Martin was born on December 17, 1987, when he was really born on November 17, 1982. It also claimed that Mr Martin achieved a masters from the University of Cambridge, and that he sat as a magistrate once a month.
Mr Martin qualified as a teacher in 2006 and was employed as a teacher at the Cheltenham school in the same year. He was promoted to head of sixth form in 2024 after applying for the role. He applied for the deputy head position, but was not successful.
After this, the school noted that they had a different birth date for Mr Martin on record, compared to his 2025 application. Mr Martin was questioned about the birth date, and he said that there the 1982 date was “incorrect” and he had asked the school to correct it for a “number of years”.
Further checks were made by the school against his 2024 application for the head of sixth form position. This showed a date of birth of November 17, 2012.
The report said: “Mr Martin’s responses to the date of birth issue caused greater scrutiny and checks to be made against the information he supplied in both the 2025 and 2024 applications.” The school then asked Mr Martin for a copy of his degree certificate for his masters from Cambridge.
The report said that Mr Martin provided a certificate that he “purported” to be a copy of a degree certificate. The school checked with the University of Cambridge, which confirmed he had not attended the university.
The school also checked with the HM Courts and Tribunal Services if Mr Martin sat as a magistrate, but the organisation confirmed it had “no record” of a Nicholas Martin. A disciplinary hearing was held by the school on March 31, 2025, and Mr Martin admitted that he “acted dishonestly”.
The report added: “He accepted he had provided a false date of birth, had fabricated a certificate to further his earlier false declaration about his qualifications and had not sat as a magistrate for a number of years.”
After the TRA’s investigation, it found that Mr Martin was in breach of teaching standards and that his actions “fell significantly short of the standards expected of the profession”. Mr Martin has been banned from teaching, but the decision could be reviewed from February 5, 2028.
A spokesperson for St Edward’s School said it is “aware” of the TRA’s decision. The spokesperson added: “The individual concerned is no longer employed by the school. Once concerns were identified, the school followed its established procedures and referred the matter to the appropriate authorities.
“We fully supported the process that followed. The welfare and education of our pupils is always our highest priority, and we expect the highest standards of professionalism and integrity from all staff.”