Having joined Taylors’ in 2018, Matt has now seen an entire cohort of Third Formers complete their time at Taylors’. Being House Master of White House, he is a well known and loved member of the Taylors’ community. Two of his passions are cricket and now, running, which has led to the London Marathon. You can find out more about Mr Hughes and his journey below!
When did you join Taylors?
I joined MTS in 2018, and it has absolutely flown! It has been so lovely to have seen a whole cohort of boys who joined in the Third Form leave the school as well established, first class young men. Merchant Taylors’ is such a special place for both the boys and the staff. I have loved every second.
What most excites you about your role and what got you into it?
As I am sure the boys in White House know, being a Housemaster at this school is a brilliant role. I feel like I have a tutor group of 140 boys! They inspire me all of the time with their incredible achievements and how much they push themselves outside of the classroom. Being able to help the boys make the most out of their time as they make their way through the school is one of my favourite things about my job.
Most of the boys know I also love my cricket, so being able to share the U15As National Cup victory last summer was one of the highlights I have had since joining the school; that team is going places!
I am also a big Chemistry geek and can speak about Quantum Mechanics and Organic Mechanisms for hours!
What are you most proud of outside of your work at Taylors?
Growing up I worked incredibly hard at my dream to become a professional cricketer, but eventually chose to go to university and take a different path. This allowed me to keep playing cricket at a high standard, and I found even more love in the game once I reached the university team. Captaining the Oxford cricket first team and scoring a hundred at Lords, the home of cricket, was truly a dream come true. Most of my friends and life experiences revolve around sport, so I am thankful for all of the time and energy I put into it!
I have now channelled all of my energy from cricket into golf (along with Mr Palmer-Reid!), which is an even more frustrating sport! It has allowed us to travel to some incredible places around the UK.
What did you study?
Chemistry at Oxford University, which I would recommend it to anyone that has a love for maths and science, whilst wanting to keep lots of doors open too. Lots of my university friends have used skills from Chemistry and now have moved on to totally different jobs (detectives, banking, consultants, research scientists and many more!)
What is one thing you think everyone should try and why?
Run! I have recently discovered the idea of running for fun and I am now running the London marathon – I love it! Please do have a look at my summary and ‘just giving’ link posted elsewhere in this Scissorum issue! I will be raising money for the school charity, PHAB!
