Moving from Canada to the UK – Elyse Horner

Elyse Horner, Teacher of Science at Barlby High School tells us about her move from Canada, the transition to a new education system and the support she has received:

“After teaching Maths and Science at the middle school level (KS3) for eight years, I moved from Canada to York in August, 2018. Transferring over my certification was simple paperwork, but the transition from the Canadian system to the UK education system was a big leap! Although there are many differences between the infrastructure, pedagogy and even teaching philosophies between the two countries, the most glaring difference is that Canada does not have GCSEs. Learning what these exams are, the language, vocabulary and philosophy of them and the implementation of them has been a big learning curve for me as a middle school specialist. 

“Over this past year, I’ve been working with Nick Mastin (SLE), to work through key topics within the specification, identifying key misconceptions, highlighting key exam questions and building my own confidence with the subject knowledge as I expand my own teaching and learning from middle school to KS4.

“This has been a very important, bespoke CPD for me and I’ve hugely benefited from this time with Nick. He has shared his wealth of experience with me in a way that has made this transition as seamless as possible, significantly increasing my confidence, and for that, I’m very grateful!

“In addition to that, the Science Department at Barlby High School has been an incredible support to me, filling in gaps when needed, and supporting me on the ground throughout the year. They are the dream team!”