Can anyone tell me the difference between a teaching Assitant and a Learning support Assistant?

[bananaknickers]

Is one more qualified or just taken different exams?

No difference. Some schools/LAs call them different things. E.g. TAs help in the classroom generally and with groups of children and LSAs do 1-to-1 with a specific child.

Some areas all support staff who work in classrooms are called LSAs.

All have/can have the same qualifications. And it doesn't matter what you are called you still get paid peanuts

Cheers wheresthehamster .

Are you one then?

They are more or less the same thing, but I have worked in some schools (I'm a teacher) where they have used LSAs to work with children out of the classroom, in small groups or on their own, and the LSAs have had to prepare work for the kiddies. The schools have deliberately names them LSA as teaching assistants should be in the classroom, assisting a teacher.

Yes. Did my pay comment give it away!!??

Back in my first job I was a teaching assistant, then when I worked again in the UK it had been turned into an LSA. They are both the same in my neck of the woods, whereas those that are there to help the teacher rather than pupils are called classroom assistants.

wheresthehamster - TAs also do 1-1

I think they are one and the same job

they should be the same job.

Yes, I agree, that was just an example of one of the schools I've worked in.