What Is a Learning Support Assistant (LSA)? A Guide for UK School Parents

A learning support assistant (LSA) — also called a teaching assistant (TA) — is a trained member of school staff who supports pupils alongside teachers in and out of the classroom. They may work with a whole class, a small group, or a named individual with additional learning needs, and play a key role in inclusive secondary education.

What is the difference between an LSA, TA, and HLTA?

The terms learning support assistant and teaching assistant are often used interchangeably in UK schools, but there are meaningful distinctions between different paraprofessional roles, and schools use the titles differently. Understanding the landscape helps parents ask the right questions when speaking to the school.

Role | Typical responsibilities | Qualifications required
Teaching assistant (TA) | Supports the class teacher in lessons; works with small groups or individuals under direct teacher instruction | No mandatory qualification; many hold NVQ Level 2/3 in Supporting Teaching and Learning or equivalent
Learning support assistant (LSA) | Focused support for a named pupil or pupils with SEND; implements a student's support plan; liaises with the SENCo | No mandatory minimum; often holds SEND-specific training or Level 3 qualification; some are LSA-qualified through NVQ routes
Higher Level Teaching Assistant (HLTA) | Can plan and deliver lessons and lead whole classes under teacher supervision; takes on greater responsibility in the teacher's absence | Nationally recognised HLTA standards; school assessment and accreditation through a registered body

In practice, the most important question is not the job title but the specific responsibilities assigned to the person working with your child.

What does an LSA do in lessons?

In the classroom, an LSA typically:

Sits near a pupil with additional needs and helps them understand or access the lesson content

Breaks down teacher explanations into smaller steps or alternative language

Reminds a student of strategies they have been taught (for example, reading back through work or using a graphic organiser)

Manages the physical environment — helping a pupil with a physical disability handle equipment or move around the room

Takes notes on behalf of a student if scribing is part of their support plan

Monitors how a pupil is coping emotionally, flagging concerns to the form tutor or SENCo

Crucially, a well-deployed LSA encourages independence. Their role is not to do the work for the pupil but to help the pupil access the curriculum and develop the skills to work with increasing autonomy over time. In secondary school especially, the goal is to reduce dependency, not entrench it.

What is a 1:1 LSA and how is one allocated?

A 1:1 LSA is a support assistant assigned to work exclusively with one named pupil, either throughout the school day or for specific lessons or subjects. This is the most intensive form of in-school support and is most commonly funded through an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).

An EHCP is a legal document produced by the local authority that sets out a child's special educational needs and the provision required to meet them. If an EHCP specifies a level of adult support — for example, "30 hours per week of 1:1 support from a trained LSA" — the local authority is legally required to fund and ensure that provision.

Without an EHCP, a school may still deploy a TA to support a pupil with identified needs from within its own SEND budget. This is called SEND Support (formerly School Action / School Action Plus). The level of support available under SEND Support is at the school's discretion and can vary significantly between schools and local authorities.

How does an LSA differ from a SENCo?

Parents sometimes confuse the LSA and the SENCo — they are quite different roles.

The SENCo (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Coordinator) is a qualified teacher who holds overall responsibility for the school's SEND provision. In maintained schools in England, the SENCo is required to hold, or be working towards, the National Award for SEN Coordination (a postgraduate-level qualification). The SENCo does not typically deliver classroom support directly; instead, they coordinate provision, manage EHCPs and SEND Support Plans, liaise with external professionals (educational psychologists, speech and language therapists, and so on), and advise subject teachers.

The LSA is the person who delivers that provision in practice — sitting in lessons, running small-group sessions, and working directly with individual pupils. The SENCo oversees and directs the LSA's work; the LSA carries it out. Parents dealing with concerns about their child's day-to-day support will generally speak to the LSA or the student's form tutor, while strategic conversations about the student's overall SEND plan or EHCP belong with the SENCo.

What should parents ask about LSA support?

If your child receives LSA support, or if you are hoping they will, the following questions help ensure the support is as effective as possible:

How is the LSA time deployed? Is the LSA with your child in every lesson, certain subjects only, or some lessons and some withdrawal sessions? Do they know why specific lessons are prioritised?

Does the LSA liaise with subject teachers? Effective support depends on the LSA knowing what is being taught and how. Ask whether time is built in for the LSA and teachers to communicate.

Is there a plan to develop independence over time? Especially in secondary school, good support has an exit strategy: the level of LSA input should reduce as the student develops strategies and confidence.

What does the student feel about the support? Some young people find 1:1 support helpful; others find it embarrassing or stigmatising, particularly in front of peers. A good school will find ways to deliver support discreetly.

Who reviews the support plan, and how often? SEND Support Plans should be reviewed at least three times a year; EHCPs have an annual review. Ask when the next review is and how you can contribute to it.

Does having an LSA benefit a pupil's learning?

Research from the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) and others suggests that teaching assistant support has highly variable effectiveness depending entirely on how it is deployed. The EEF's extensive research found that poorly deployed TA support — where a TA works primarily with lower-attaining pupils in ways that reduce their contact with the class teacher and with challenging curriculum content — can actually widen the attainment gap rather than close it.

The same research found that well-structured, purposefully deployed TA support, where the TA uses evidence-based strategies to develop the student's skills and independence rather than simply completing tasks alongside them, can make a meaningful positive difference.

What this means in practice: parents should not assume that more LSA time automatically means better outcomes. Ask the school how the LSA time is structured, what strategies the LSA uses, and how they work alongside subject teachers to maintain the student's full engagement with the curriculum.

Frequently asked questions

How does my child get a 1:1 LSA?

The most common route is through an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), which legally requires the local authority to fund the level of support specified. To pursue an EHCP, ask the school's SENCo to carry out an EHCP needs assessment, or apply directly to the local authority yourself. If the school believes your child's needs can be met without an EHCP, they may instead put a SEND Support Plan in place, which can include TA support funded from the school's own SEND budget. The level of support varies considerably between schools.

Can I request a specific LSA for my child?

Parents can express a preference, and schools will often try to accommodate it where possible — continuity of relationship matters, particularly for pupils with autism, anxiety, or attachment difficulties. However, schools cannot always guarantee a specific individual; staffing constraints, timetabling, and the LSA's own qualifications and availability all affect what is possible. Raise the preference with the SENCo and explain the reason; a good school will take it seriously.

What happens to my child's LSA support as they move through school?

Support provision is reviewed at each annual EHCP review (or termly for SEND Support). It is not fixed indefinitely. As a student develops independence and skills, the level of support may be intentionally reduced — this is a sign that the support is working, not that it is being withdrawn unfairly. At transition points such as moving from Year 9 into GCSE study or from secondary school to sixth form, it is worth attending the annual review proactively and ensuring the new provision is agreed and in place before the transition happens, not after.

Do LSAs teach lessons on their own?

Standard TAs and LSAs do not. Their role is to support the class teacher, not to deliver curriculum independently. A Higher Level Teaching Assistant (HLTA) may lead a whole class or group under teacher supervision — for example, covering a lesson when a teacher is at a training day — but this is distinct from classroom teaching and is regulated by the HLTA's nationally recognised standards. If you discover your child is regularly being taught by a TA without a teacher present, this is worth raising with the school.

If your child has additional learning needs and benefits from patient, structured one-to-one support that can flex around their pace, AI Tutors offers personalised tutoring in core subjects designed to build independence — explore aitutors.me to find out more.