Devarnie’s Story: From Matthew Moss to Inspiring the Next Generation
Since leaving Matthew Moss High School in 2019 with the GCSEs I needed to secure my first-choice place at Rochdale Sixth Form College, my journey has been driven by a lifelong passion for sport. At sixth form, I studied Psychology, Sociology, and Business, but I always knew my ultimate goal lay in the sporting world.
After achieving my grades, I accepted an offer at my first-choice university, St Mary’s University Twickenham, to study Physical Education, Sports, and Youth Development. During my time there, I also had the privilege of representing the university on the Rugby League team.
While at St Mary’s, I chose a dissertation topic incredibly close to my heart: The barriers that children in care face when accessing sports both inside and outside of school. I graduated in 2024 with a 2:1, and immediately moved on to the University of Brighton to study for my PGCE in Secondary PE. Following an intense year of demanding teaching placements, I graduated with my PGCE in 2025 and secured my first official teaching job. I am now coming to the end of my first year as an Early Career Teacher (ECT) at The Richmond upon Thames School in Twickenham. My number one goal as an educator is simple: to inspire future generations, just like my own teachers inspired me.
Matthew Moss played a massive role in pushing me to reach my full potential. The school provided me with incredible sporting facilities and endless opportunities to compete in fixtures. More than that, I was fortunate to have teachers who truly believed in me and constantly pushed me to achieve what I was capable of.
My PE teachers, Mr. Hinchcliffe and Mr. Clough, were instrumental to my success. Mr. Clough taught me from Year 7 all the way through to Year 11; he constantly challenged me to achieve the highest grades, while keeping lessons so fun and engaging that they completely ignited my passion for sports and teaching. My English teacher, Mr. Glennie, also played a huge part in inspiring me. He held me to a high standard, pushed me to reach the top grade bands, and was always a fantastic person to turn to whenever I needed advice or a chat.
Most importantly, Mrs. Hoyle, my learning mentor, had one of the biggest impacts on my life. As a child in care, she looked after me, held regular meetings with me, and helped me utilise my Pupil Premium funding to access sporting opportunities outside of school that I otherwise would have missed out on.
I want to say a massive thank you to all of them, as well as every other teacher who taught me along the way. I’m sure a few of them might still be shocked to hear that I am now a teacher myself!
