Gavin Nicholson was an English teacher and form tutor at Broomfield School when he was found to have overstepped professional boundaries in his relationships with current and former students, according to a decision published by the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) on December 9, 2025.
The professional conduct panel heard the case in virtual hearings between June 30 to July 4, 2025, and December 1 to 4, 2025.
Mr Nicholson, 48, admitted to several allegations including exchanging personal messages with pupils, sharing his personal contact details, and inappropriate physical contact, among other breaches.
According to the evidence heard at the TRA panel, Mr Nicholson began work at Broomfield School in September 2012 and had become the Lead Teacher for Literacy.
During his time at the school, the panel stated he “did not maintain professional boundaries” with several pupils, engaging in conduct the panel described as a “serious breach of professional boundaries with young primarily female pupils.”
The panel heard that between September and December 2022, he failed to maintain professional boundaries with Pupil A by exchanging emails of a personal or inappropriate nature after she had left the school and by sharing his Facebook profile name or picture.
Mr Nicholson admitted to those actions, saying he accepted his conduct was “unprofessional” and later acknowledged, “he was a ‘bit thick’ in not understanding how the emails might have been viewed by others.”
In findings revealed in the report, the panel confirmed, “the emails did not concern schoolwork and did not reflect a professional teacher/pupil relationship.
“The exchange of emails was a breach of Enfield Council’s Model Code of Conduct.”
The emails, one sent out-of-hours, contained lines such as: “I promise I am not stalking you” and “I am shocked you have the audacity to contact me claiming some alien subject is your new favourite, I might have to disinherit you.”
As for other pupils, the report said, “between October 2018 and October 2022, he did not maintain professional boundaries with Pupil B,” and that “after Pupil B left the School, he gave Pupil B his personal phone number” and “after Pupil B had left the School, he exchanged messages on his personal mobile phone via WhatsApp.”
The WhatsApp messages, which the panel reviewed, included phrases such as “I want to see your work.
“Let’s do something about that, soon…” and “it’s lovely to read your work again (smiley face with heart eyes) but I’d still rather be in a room with you.”
He also admitted to hugging a pupil and to kissing another pupil’s hand in November 2022.
Mr Nicholson admitted: “It was thoughtless.
“I am ashamed it happened, she must have been scared and intimidated and I regret it absolutely,” regarding the incident of kissing a pupil’s hand.
The panel determined that “his conduct in whispering to a pupil and kissing the hand of another pupil, and hugging two other pupils, without good reason, warning or obtaining consent, caused discomfort and concern to pupils and had the potential to impact in a seriously negative way upon them.”
The findings further stated: “The panel was concerned that Mr Nicholson had intentionally deleted emails and messages after he was aware of the allegations at the School which meant that they were not available to the panel for scrutiny.”
However, the panel did not find the conduct to be sexually motivated.
They stated: “The panel considered that, for the reasons given by Mr Nicholson, that Mr Nicholson had become overinvested in seeking to provide support for (former) pupils.
“It considered that he was experiencing emotional benefit to himself by providing this support.
“It was this, rather than any sexual motivation, that had caused him to act in the inappropriate ways that he had.”
Summing up the case, the panel concluded, “The conduct of Mr Nicholson fell significantly short of the standards expected of the profession.
“The findings of misconduct are serious as they include a teacher engaging in inappropriate communications with vulnerable pupils.”
A prohibition order has now been imposed, which takes effect from the date on which it is served on the teacher, preventing Mr Nicholson from teaching in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children’s home in England.
He may not apply for the order to be set aside until Wednesday, December 15, 2027, with the report noting that “a prohibition order would therefore prevent such a risk from being present in the future.”
