Martin Ferguson was born in Belfast and has been an English teacher for ten years. Whilst studying at Queen's University Belfast, Martin obtained both his English and Politics degree and his PGCE. His PGCE experience was heavily influenced by citizenship teaching and the rights of the child, and how this plays a vital role in everyday classroom practice and curriculum delivery. His focus has always been on making day-to-day classroom teaching accessible and responsive to the needs of the pupils whilst ensuring high expectations for all.

Martin has worked in several high performing schools in both the secondary and grammar sector and has had the privilege of working in a mixed ability environment for much of his career. He began his career in St Killian's College, Ballymena, a highly successful mixed ability school, where his previous roles included literacy coordinator and assistant head of English. During his time there, he led the KS3 Transition Project and the GCSE Signature Project, where he gained valuable experience in tackling underachievement and developed strategies to help raise standards at a classroom and system level.