Mary Montgomery

Belfast Boys' Model School  

bbms.org.uk

Subject or Primary School Year: History

Place of Birth: Carrickfergus

Where you studied: Stranmillis College

What was your first job? History teacher in Belfast Boys' Model School

What did your first job teach you? The benefit of hard work and consistency. 

Family/Status: Mother of two children.

Best advice you would give to someone thinking of a teaching career:  You can change the world.

Mary Montgomery is Principal of Belfast Boys’ Model School, a Controlled Non-selective school of 1,100 boys in North Belfast, with almost 60 per cent FSME. 

Mary has worked in the school since 1993, fulfilling many roles in both curriculum and pastoral work. She took up the job of Principal in 2018. In recent years, pupils significantly outperform those in similar schools, and A-Level results are better than the NI average for all males. Successive inspection reports have commended school leadership and documented the work done in closing both the gender performance gap and that between non FSME and FSME pupils. 

Mary is a Trustee of Belfast Boys’ Model Bursary Fund, a Trustee of the North Belfast Youth Choir and a Trustee of the James Kane Foundation. She is also a member of Streetbeat Management Committee and spent the academic year 2020/21 working as part of the Expert Panel on Educational Underachievement, responsible for the Fair Start Report, published in June 2021 and endorsed by the NI Executive.

Mary is a member of the Shankill Housing and Enterprise Board. Mary currently co-ordinates a school improvement piece with the eight primary schools located in the Shankill area, supported by QUB.