WEST Devon teaching staff are among 220 from Devon's schools who have been honoured for gaining additional qualifications to enhance the work they do for the county's children.

Alice Glover and Nikki Lloyd of Okehampton College and Fiona Milligan of Whitchurch Primary School were among 139 Devon teaching assistants to have gained the prestigious Higher Level Teaching Assistant status or HLTA.

Gaile Partridge of Okehampton Primary School and Tracey Smith of Okehampton College were successful in the support staff team leaders' development programme, while Claire Alison, Bradley Jasper and Dawn Prout of Whitchurch Primary School achieved their support work in school level 2 qualifications.

Many of the staff were presented with their certificates by Devon County Council leader John Hart, the cabinet member for children's health and wellbeing, Andrea Davis and the executive director of children and young people's services, Anne Whiteley, at a special ceremony in Exeter.

Mrs Whiteley praised them for their hard work and dedication in gaining the new qualifications.

'You have put in a lot of time, effort and commitment to achieving these awards,' she said.

Support staff were playing a crucial role in responding to changes in schools and taking on new roles and responsibilities .

'This is a significant achievement and a credit to your hard work as well as to your schools for supporting you and making these awards such a success,' said Mrs Whiteley.

Support staff often lived locally and knew their local communities and their children's families which was a positive asset, she said.

Andrea Davis said: 'Each member of staff in a school has a valuable part to play in ensuring every child enjoys their learning in a caring environment.

'We all need greater levels of understanding of children and their often complex needs. These well qualified staff can help teachers in ensuring our children make the most of their one chance at education.'

Mr Hart said he was delighted to see so many school staff determined to achieve more professional qualifications.

Teaching assistants support the work of teachers in the classroom. The HLTA is achieved by undertaking a rigorous assessment process to meet thirty three nationally agreed professional standards.

A new qualification was offered this year for support staff with management roles.

The Support Staff Team Leadership qualification was awarded to 15 staff including administrators, catering managers, TAs and HLTAs.

Mark Freeman, adviser for support staff, said: 'This is a very important event, recognising the move towards the creation of a fully qualified schools' workforce.

'These support staff have a vital contribution to make to the standards achieved and the quality of the learning environment.'