All Approved Driving Instructors (ADI) are trained to
deliver driving instruction in accordance with the Driving Standards Agency’s
(DSA) practical car test. The skills required to pass the test are outlined in The
Official DSA Guide to Driving: the essential skills which is published by the DSA and is commonly
referred to as the “driving manual”.
How We Teach
We believe that learning to drive, if not easy, can
be made straight forward by smart instruction. Intelligence and experience,
flexibility and consistency, enthusiasm and patience – we believe that the
better we are as instructors, the quicker you can obtain your full licence. In
2008 our instructors averaged 48 tests per year (about one a week) with a 75%
pass rate, which is exceptionally high within the industry.
What makes us different? Simple. We teach better. Our
instructors are selected because of their communication skills. Our commitment
– our mission – is to nurture your desire to drive, and deliver to you the
skills that match your desire. And we back it all up with our First Time Pass
Promise which guarantees a pass first time or pays for the subsequent test.*
Below is a typical medriving training schedule based
on two hours of tuition per week. It covers 45 hours of tuition with a
supplementary 22 hours of private practise.**
Touch
based learning –developing psycho-motor skill (reflex). Aim:
To form muscle memory. When:
Primarily in the first few weeks.
Controlling
position and speed is the foundation of learning to drive.
scenarios: Understanding The Road
Sight
based learning – developing cognitive
skill (understanding). Aim:
To develop situation recognition. When:
The middle section of every course.
Recognising road scenarios and correctly positioning
the car within them forms the main part of learning to be a driver.
attitude: Marrying Progress With Safety
Thought
based learning – developing judgmental
skill (decision). Aim:
To instill safe and effective driving principals. When:
All the way through.
Forming a healthy driver attitude is the key to a
safe and enjoyable driving life.
specific
skills
We aim to teach the specific skills at just the right
time. In pursuit of this we seek to balance the benefits of starting to learn a
particular skill early (more time to practise, the transfer of skills to other
areas) on the one hand, with those of starting later (saving time by starting when a
candidate’s skill level is higher) on the other. We seek to optimise this
for every one of the specific skills within the course.
Mock Testing
Another significant key to our success is the amount
of mock testing we do. We recognise mock testing as the fourth level of instruction.
The first three levels of instruction – guided (telling), prompted (reminding)
and independent (supporting) are well known and practised in the industry. We
recognise mock test practise as specific and unique, and that familiarity with
the test format is vitally important. Candidates on mock test get used to
looking, assessing, deciding and acting in road scenarios, whilst being
silently assessed for 35 minutes.We have found that multiple mock
testing builds this familiarity in our pupils (we normally perform anywhere between
5 and 10 mock tests for each pupil in the latter half of their course, using
actual test routes). We then debrief and re-run tests as is necessary. By the
time you take your test with us you won’t be hoping to be able to handle it, you will have learned to.
Where We Teach
We currently teach in Watford and nearby areas.
We take to test at
Watford Test Centre
Borehamwood Test Centre
St
Albans Test Centre
Pinner Test Centre
Mill Hill Test Centre
Aylesbury Test Centre
Barnet Test Centre
…but we are growing all the time. If you live in an
area near any of those listed please call and we’ll do our best to make it work
for you.
*T&C Apply. Ask your instructor for further details **Learner drivers on average require 45 hours of tuition and
22 hours of private practise to pass the practical test. source: www.direct.gov.uk
