Head of sixth type at £25,000-a-year non-public college is struck off after mendacity about moving into Cambridge on his CV

The head of sixth form at a £25,000-a-year private school has been struck off after he lied about studying at Cambridge University.

Discrepancies over Nicholas Martin’s age in a job application for a deputy headmaster role at St Edward’s School in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, raised alarm bells for staff who launched an investigation.

The 43-year-old had claimed he was born in 1982, but school files had Mr Martin’s date of birth as 1987, differing by five years and one month.

When challenged, Mr Martin initially said someone must have confused his handwriting, but in follow-up emails accepted the date he had given was incorrect.

This brought other elements of his CV under scrutiny, including his education and extra-curricular activities.

When contacted, Cambridge University confirmed his certificate for a Masters degree in history, which he liked to ‘show off to friends on the weekends’, was forged.

It emerged he had instead attended Lancaster University.

Mr Martin also lied about sitting as a magistrate and had used the false claim as an excuse for days of absence – pretending to oversee court hearings once a month.

Nicolas Martin was applying for a deputy headmaster role at St Edward’s School in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, (pictured) when the forged certificate from the prestigious university was spotted

The teacher had used post-nominals MA (Cantab) – signaling a postgraduate degree holder from Cambridge University – and JP – standing for Justice of the Peace, an alternative to magistrate – in his signature.

Mr Martin admitted at a disciplinary hearing in March 2025 that he had lied about his date of birth and had falsely claimed he had worked as a magistrate, with hopes to come across as ‘younger, more dynamic and more fun’.

The teacher was subsequently struck off from working as a teacher due to his ‘fundamental disregard of fundamental aspects of the education system’ at a Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) hearing last month, after the School referred the case to the watchdog.

Mr Martin is ‘prohibited from teaching indefinitely and cannot teach in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children’s home in England’ for two years, when a review on the decision can take place.

In the hearing it was noted he had been a ‘good teacher’ with no previous suggestion of misconduct, but he had not demonstrated ‘exceptionally high standards or significantly contributing to the education sector’.

Michelle Chappelle, chair of the TRA panel, added Mr Martin’s actions prevented him from being a ‘suitable role model in supporting pupils’.

Mr Martin qualified as a teacher in 2006 and started a teaching role at St Edward’s in September of the same year.

In 2024 he became the Head of Sixth Form and later applied to become deputy head of the school, but was not a chosen shortlisted candidate.

Anna Sandford-Squires, headteacher of St Edward’s School, told the Daily Mail: ‘St Edward’s School is aware of the Teaching Regulation Agency’s decision in relation to a former member of staff.

‘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.’

St Edward’s School in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, costs £24,810 per year for sixth form students and it boasts alumni including award-winning actor Josh O’Connor, known for playing Charles, Prince of Wales, in Netflix The Crown.