EX-PUPIL MATT IS HEADTEACHER
HEADTEACHER Matt Taylor didn’t need to worry about getting to know his new school – as he used to be a pupil there.
He joined Westwood College, in Leek, this term and is now working with some of the staff who taught him two decades ago.
The 38-year-old admits he did a double take when he bumped into a few of his old teachers, including one of those who inspired him to become a teacher himself.
Mr Taylor said: “Dave Morgan taught me history at GCSE and he always had a good professional relationship with the students.
“The other teacher who inspired me was Rob Smith, who taught English. It was my first experience of studying Shakespeare. The feedback I got from him made me think ‘I’m not bad at this.’”
Mr Taylor left the school in 1999 after taking three A-levels and went on to do an English degree at Keele University .
“Apart from one occasion, I hadn’t been back for 20 years,” he said. “I came on a tour here when I applied for the job and it was a bit surreal.
“I was conscious I didn’t want to make a big deal about being an exstudent. But it’s important for me to work in the community where I grew up.”
The father-of-two, who is originally from Leek and now lives in Stockton Brook, has many happy memories of his school days. He added: “I remember having that greater sense of independence coming here from middle school. You could see the teachers had high expectations of you. I played sport for the school, although not particularly successfully. I also remember the school trips. We went on a Canadian exchange.
It was the first time I had been on a plane.” After graduating, Mr Taylor landed a job as a teaching assistant at Birches Head High. And it didn’t take long for the school to see his potential.
After a year, he trained as an English teacher there. He later moved on to Biddulph High, where he spent 14 years and rose through the ranks to become assistant head. Mr Taylor also worked as a specialist leader of education (SLE) for St Joseph’s College’s teaching school, where he got to support other schools in the area.
Now back where he started all those years ago, he says he hadn’t considered teaching as a career when he was a schoolboy. But after thinking about joining the police force, he decided the classroom beckoned instead.
Westwood is now part of The Talentum Learning Trust, which also oversees Leek High and Churnet View Middle School.
“It’s an exciting time and there’s lots of potential,” he said. “We see the opportunity for growth, particularly with the Leek federation sixth form. We want to increase the opportunities in terms of courses.
“One of the key things I will be focusing on is getting students to be proud of their achievement and each other.”
Mr Taylor has taken over from Richard Hey, who retired last term.
Announcing his appointment, the trust said: “Mr Taylor was the outstanding applicant and, through a very rigorous process over two days, came out to be the unanimous choice.”