Teaching assistant or classroom assistant

[mckenzie]

what is the difference please? if any.

TIA

Different terms for the same thing. Also known as learning supprt assistant

thank you. So NVQ or similar needed then??

Different grades here.
Classroom assistant is the bottom grade, then TA, then senior TA, then HLTA then Principal TA. Different responsibilities at each stage.
LSA is usually in a 1:1 /specfic need role and would be paid at one of the above roles.

Different areas use different terms IME nymphadora is corect in her area but may be different elsewhere

Best I find out what the terms mean in my area then huh . thanks for the replies.

Some areas call them by numbers . 1 is lowest.

Here, we have LSAs, who tend to work with specific children and are paid at the lowest rate (grade 1), TA general classroom support and SEN TA Support for children with a range of SEN (grade 2 / 3) and HLTAs who can take a class and teach in a planned situation (HLTA grade I guess = grade 4)

In this area it is possible to become an LSA without any formal qualifications, though schools are beginning to ask for at least an NVQ2, but it is pretty impossible to become a TA or SEN TA without at least that, or an NVQ3. HLTAs are required to have undergone the formal preparation and assessment process for HLTAs.

thanks very much for the extra replies.
It seems here that you can be a classroom assistant with no formal qualifications, at least in the two primary schools that I approached anyway, so that is what I shall keep looking out for.