A teacher has been banned from the profession indefinitely after admitting to lying about his age, fabricating a Cambridge University degree, and falsely claiming to be a magistrate. Nicholas Martin, 43, was head of sixth form at St Edwards School in Cheltenham when discrepancies in his job applications led to an investigation.
The Teaching Regulation Agency panel heard that Martin claimed a birth year of 1987 in a 2025 application, despite earlier stating 1982. When challenged, he initially blamed handwriting confusion, then claimed the earlier date was an error on an old passport. However, his passport and driving licence both showed the 1982 date, and Department for Education records only listed that year. In a 2024 application, he even gave a birth date of November 2012, which would have made him 12.
Martin also claimed a master's degree in history from the University of Cambridge in his 2025 application, having previously stated a Lancaster University degree. He provided a fabricated certificate, saying the original was at home as he “liked to show it off to friends on weekends”. Cambridge confirmed the certificate was false. Additionally, he used the post-nominals “MA (Cantab)” and “JP”, but HM Courts and Tribunals Service found no record of him serving as a magistrate in recent years.
At a disciplinary hearing in March, Martin admitted dishonesty, including providing a false date of birth, fabricating the degree certificate, and not sitting as a magistrate for several years. The panel noted he had tried to present himself as “more younger, more dynamic and more fun”.
The panel ruled that his conduct “fell significantly short of the standards expected of the profession”. He has been banned indefinitely from teaching, with a review possible after two years.
