Grade 6?

All Instructors are assessed regularly with a “check test.” A check test is basically a driving lesson with an examiner sitting in the back of the tuition car and observing the quality of instruction. It is very much biased in the instructor’s favour in that he/she selects the pupil and the topic for training. At the end of the check test the instructor receives a grade between 1 and 6.

The three lower grades are unacceptable and below standard. A further checktest would follow. If a standard of 4,5 or 6 could not be reached after three attempts the Driving Standard Agency would proceed to remove the instructor from their register, thus making it illegal for the instructor to give tuition for payment, ending their career.

A new instructor on their first checktest would be marked “educational” if their level of competence was below grade 4 and re-tested within three months.

Instructors graded 4,5 or 6 will not be checked again for up to 6 years, depending on how high the grade is.

Unfortunately, the system is open to abuse. I heard the story of an instructor who practised a checktest with the chosen pupil and even gave the pupil a number of questions to ask during the course of the “lesson.” I also recently heard about an instructor who took his wife as his pupil and again set up the lesson getting a top grade 6 for his effort. These are the ones I have heard about. There must be hundreds, if not thousands, of similar examples throughout the UK over the many years of instructor testing.

Then there was the grade 6 instructor who assaulted his pupil by grabbing hold of his right arm to stop him starting the car in gear, which is quite amazing. All he had to do was apply the dual controls and there would have been no risk of the car jumping forward. Hardly what you might expect from an instructor graded top of his profession!

So how do you find a quality instructor if you can’t trust the grading system?

Going to a well-known national driving school is no guarantee. Some of whom use trainee instructors without informing the customer. Trainee instructors haven’t passed their test of instructional ability and therefore have no grade as yet. There are of course experienced, qualified instructors within these schools but it’s potluck whether you get one or not. Even then, they may not be monitored. There may be more interest in collecting the franchise from the instructor rather than ensuring they deliver good quality driving instruction

The independent instructor could be a source for finding a good instructor as they tend to rely on recommendations in addition to local advertising, but then, it comes down to personality, as not everybody is suited to work together.

We, at Hamilton, are members of checkatrade (checkatrade vets local businesses and provides feedback from previous customers), and this can offer some protection as we rely on feedback and recommendations. Any adverse publicity would reflect badly on us. Our instructors are only taken on where they satisfy me they have the right qualities (and I don’t profess to getting it right every time). Any complaint would be followed up and action taken as necessary to protect the pupil and our good name.

There you have it. It’s potluck, but at least with Hamilton School of Motoring we do care and our aim is a professional relationship leading to a successful driving test.