Wishing you a happy, peaceful new year and hope that you achieve the goals you strive for.
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Sunday, 31 December 2017
Sunday, 24 December 2017
Thursday, 21 December 2017
Performance Output of ADI's
The DIA (Driving Instructors Association) have raised the subject of measuring ADI performance & conduct in their latest magazine after it was brought up at a recent > National Associations Strategic Partnership < (NASP) meeting.
Apparently consensus between the parties involved is hard to come by on this subject and I am not in the slightest bit surprised for reasons that I will explain.
Why would anyone want to be measuring the performance output of ADI's? ADI's are in business as a result of customers choosing their driving school for training purposes - if the ADI(s) was not up to scratch, then by a process of natural deselection, the business would fold. Consider for a moment how that differs significantly with the options parents have of choosing schools for their children to attend; and bear in mind also that there is no direct financial transaction between parents and schools - the State intervenes and OFSTED regulates school performance for this public service.
As such, it seems quite logical to me to re-frame this question of ADI performance, on behalf of the public. What in particular would the public like to know prior to choosing their driving instructor? The industry knows from historical evidence that the public places very little importance on the DVSA formal grading of a driving instructor (the DVSA would do well to ask themselves why that is the case). So what would help the public to decide who to use?
It is my opinion (based on my experience) that they would have an interest in the following factors of the training provider:
- the price
- the dependability of the outcome & what happens if their son/daughter fails their driving test
- the safety record
- the reliability of the instructor
I have long held the view that our driving instructor associations and/or the DVSA could serve the industry well by surveying the public to confirm/deny the above by formal research - I rather suspect the second item listed would feature large.
The problem is that the likes of the NASP will keep 'chasing their tail' on this subject because the industry is too "inward looking" - this is something that I mentioned to Carly Brookfield when I attended the recent DIA Conference. There is a culture in the industry which refuses to consider change that goes beyond its perceived needs of the stakeholders - that in a nutshell is all that is required to create deadlock.
Until our industry stops looking after its own needs and starts genuinely serving the public, there will be no advancing on this issue. If anyone involved in the NASP wants ADI's to start acting like professionals then they should start modelling the desired behaviour themselves which will inevitably involve treading on previously untrodden ground in order to raise standards.
Monday, 18 December 2017
Consistently good driving
This video for PDI's relates to driving instructor training from the BIG TOM foundation block "Pedagogy" and raises your awareness of the process of effective learning in order to raise driving ability to a consistently high standard. This is one of the fundamental barriers to success for driving instructors and having knowledge on this subject will help you to run a more successful driving school.
Thursday, 14 December 2017
Dealing with obstacles to learning
This driving instructor training video offers some light on a subject that seriously affects how driving instructors feel while they are giving driving training on a day to day basis - obstacles to learning. You will be encouraged to think of this issue in a different manner so as to begin to see self-improvement that will not only benefit you, but your pupils learning experience too. Contact BIG TOM on 0775 607 1464 to book 1 hour online training for £10
Driving Instructor Training with BIG TOM
This driving instructor training video is aimed for PDI's and ADI's and will help you to get some clarity on the usefulness of consistent feedback to pupils and driving test pass rates.
There is a specific BIG TOM > foundation block < for "Customer Feedback" and if you want more details on how you can learn more about this very important subject do get in touch on 0775 607 1464
Tuesday, 12 December 2017
It's early days but....
I've been busying myself keeping my ear to the ground of late since this new driving test has been introduced; listening to the general reaction from the industry.
The overwhelming thrust of feedback that I have heard has been a step change in the quantity of candidates passing the new driving test. One of the DVSA research findings (PPR828) had the figure at about 60% first time pass rate which is at least 10% higher than historical statistics involving the old format driving test.
I made mention of this point over a year ago in this blog - what is the measure of success when you change an assessment format? Is success having more people pass, fail, or there being no discernible difference? This very point was made by Mark Magee previously in relation to what he described as the unacceptably low pass rates for the PDI qualifying tests.
The little gem in the DVSA research however is the post-test data. That is where the industry could do so much more. Their research found no difference in collision rates for pupils who trained and took the differing driving tests. But they did discover that people who were on black box, telematic insurance policies were 50% more likely to have a collision regardless of which driving test they took.
So what are we to conclude at this point? It SEEMS that things are rolling out pretty much as the DVSA were expecting. More people are passing with the increased emphasis in the new assessment of driving as opposed to reversing while steering.
I wonder why more pressure is not being put on telematic insurance companies to answer the fundamental concern regarding safety when people choose their policies? Hmmmm...... why would that not be happening......
The overwhelming thrust of feedback that I have heard has been a step change in the quantity of candidates passing the new driving test. One of the DVSA research findings (PPR828) had the figure at about 60% first time pass rate which is at least 10% higher than historical statistics involving the old format driving test.
I made mention of this point over a year ago in this blog - what is the measure of success when you change an assessment format? Is success having more people pass, fail, or there being no discernible difference? This very point was made by Mark Magee previously in relation to what he described as the unacceptably low pass rates for the PDI qualifying tests.
The little gem in the DVSA research however is the post-test data. That is where the industry could do so much more. Their research found no difference in collision rates for pupils who trained and took the differing driving tests. But they did discover that people who were on black box, telematic insurance policies were 50% more likely to have a collision regardless of which driving test they took.
So what are we to conclude at this point? It SEEMS that things are rolling out pretty much as the DVSA were expecting. More people are passing with the increased emphasis in the new assessment of driving as opposed to reversing while steering.
I wonder why more pressure is not being put on telematic insurance companies to answer the fundamental concern regarding safety when people choose their policies? Hmmmm...... why would that not be happening......
Friday, 8 December 2017
Pass Rates
The subject of pass rates can sometimes be a rather thorny subject amongst driving instructors and what I intend to do in this blog is offer some guidance to PDI's.
Let's first of all look at the very latest available statistics that are publicly available online from DfT. If you pop on to the GOV.UK site and look for driving test pass rates in the search bar you will find there is a quarterly document published which contains in it many pass rates for various tests including car test (DRT02).
So at the time of writing this blog the latest available data is from April to June 2017. It shows that there is an overall pass rate of 47% across the UK. It is possible however to see how many are passing the driving test on their first attempt, and DRT0202 which refers to 2016-2017 gives that as 47.1% followed by a marginal increase on the second attempt at 48.4%.
So those figures relate to all driving tests being undertaken across the country. You might think they are low? But then again, if you have researched the pass rates of trainee driving instructors taking the qualifying tests you might think in comparison they are in fact not so low? As is always the case with statistics they can be twisted and turned and published in a variety of ways, and so is the case with how they can be interpreted by the reader.
What they do offer though is a benchmark. They offer us an opportunity to refer to a performance measurement which is being recorded in a stable and controlled format. So one of the key questions that you have to consider right from the very start is whether they offer a performance measure of the instructor or the pupil, or possibly both? This is an important point because what it does is it frames why the reader is bothering to take note of the data. Let me explain.
If a potential customer makes an enquiry with my driving school and asks "So what is your pass rate?". In my experience, that is a potentially troubling sign. What the enquirer is in effect asking is, if I come to you, what is the chance of me passing my driving test. A perfectly reasonable question to ask you might think? Can you see how this kind of question, asked by a potential customer right at the start of the process is ALREADY putting some degree of responsibility for outcomes on your shoulders? Be under no illusion here, that is precisely what is going on.
When I reported here in this blog earlier this year that my local grammar school were disposing of lower performing students from the school, this is a symptom of an organisation that is literally prepared to break the law in order to sustain pass rates (grade levels). Ask yourself why is that organisation behaving in that manner? There is clearly for them, an awkward balance to be struck between maintaining high standards of student attainment so as to satisfy customer expectations vs treating each and every student with dignity and respect.
And so in our world of driving training, one wonders how customer expectations can affect outcomes. Well, if a potential customer starts from the position of asking you what outcome is likely regarding passing the driving test, then they are letting you know in no uncertain terms that you are being monitored and assessed. One could argue that is not only clear evidence of consumer power at work but it is only right and proper that a driving instructor SHOULD be held to account for their pass rates. And on the surface this all seems quite logical, until of course you are the parent of one of the students who was kicked out of the grammar school due to your child not getting sufficiently high grades in an exam. THEN you might hold a different opinion. But I believe there is a much more important aspect to take into account, and as unpalatable as this might come across, this is a genuinely held belief of mine that whilst being unfashionable to write does not in itself make it incorrect.
There is plenty of evidence around suggesting that driving training that is centred around solely assisting a pupil to pass a driving test does very little for the required development of a conscientious, continually improving newly qualified driver. Coaching a Year 6 student to pass an 11+ test is not necessarily in the best interests of that student. As such, it would be perfectly possible to have all driving instructors coaching their pupils to pass their driving test with no regard at all on the higher levels of the GDE matrix. But the argument goes "Who cares?". The customer, who after all is the person financing the training, wants a driving licence. They are not interested in higher levels of the GDE matrix. "JUST GET MY SON A LICENCE!"
Thankfully, I can happily report to you that I have successfully run a driving school not bending to this parental pressure, and my message to you as a PDI is, you do not need to either. There are very many people out there who can readily understand, accept and engage in my alternative approach to driving training. These tend to be the people who put the safety of their son/daughter above the potential savings to be had of simply passing the driving test.
So the only time I will actually PREVENT a customer from attempting a driving test is if I feel there is a potential safety issue. I feel qualified to make that assessment having the record of not one single accident in all the time my driving school has been established. If a customer is adamant to go to test with no chance of passing, ignoring my feedback, then as long as they do not represent a safety risk, then they can go to test. The option I give them if they DO represent a safety risk, is for them to present themselves for the test in their own car - that tends to focus the mind somewhat.
We can attempt to develop self-evaluation, risk assessment, self-awareness and we can advise our clients accordingly giving them the benefit of our experience gained over many years, but we can't control the decisions they make.... or can we? Over the years I have heard of driving instructors who claim of pass rates in the high 90's percentage.
I took some personal CPD in 2016 (BTEC Level 4 Award in Coaching for Driver Development), which I qualified at the very end of the year. So being very interested in knowing if that has had any impact on my pass rates, I recently wrote off to the DVSA asking for my formal statistics for 2017. Unfortunately, they got back to me with my overall statistics since 2009. I have re-requested the stats for the figures so far this year but not as yet had a response from them. I will update the blog if and when I receive that data. But for now, I am very happy to report an overall pass rate just higher than the national average at 48.53% and given my rationale above, not at all disheartened with my first time pass rate of 35.3%. I fundamentally do not 'coach' my pupils to pass driving tests, never have, and never will (yes, I do sleep soundly).
I hope this blog has offered some insight into the subject of pass rates. I do not for one second ask you to agree/disagree with my opinion expressed here but I hope it stimulates thought. At the heart of my business is my customer, and I will do everything I personally can to assist them to develop life-long driving skills and confidence.
UPDATE: On 11/12/2017 the DVSA gave me revised first time pass rate figures for period 01/01/2017-31/10/2017 which showed it to be increased to 50% which is 3% higher than the national average. This is an interesting statistic as it would tend to suggest that by developing my pupils' sense of responsibility for outcomes has increased the pass rate by 15%.
Driving Instructor Training with BIG TOM (in-car and online)
Let's first of all look at the very latest available statistics that are publicly available online from DfT. If you pop on to the GOV.UK site and look for driving test pass rates in the search bar you will find there is a quarterly document published which contains in it many pass rates for various tests including car test (DRT02).
So at the time of writing this blog the latest available data is from April to June 2017. It shows that there is an overall pass rate of 47% across the UK. It is possible however to see how many are passing the driving test on their first attempt, and DRT0202 which refers to 2016-2017 gives that as 47.1% followed by a marginal increase on the second attempt at 48.4%.
So those figures relate to all driving tests being undertaken across the country. You might think they are low? But then again, if you have researched the pass rates of trainee driving instructors taking the qualifying tests you might think in comparison they are in fact not so low? As is always the case with statistics they can be twisted and turned and published in a variety of ways, and so is the case with how they can be interpreted by the reader.
What they do offer though is a benchmark. They offer us an opportunity to refer to a performance measurement which is being recorded in a stable and controlled format. So one of the key questions that you have to consider right from the very start is whether they offer a performance measure of the instructor or the pupil, or possibly both? This is an important point because what it does is it frames why the reader is bothering to take note of the data. Let me explain.
If a potential customer makes an enquiry with my driving school and asks "So what is your pass rate?". In my experience, that is a potentially troubling sign. What the enquirer is in effect asking is, if I come to you, what is the chance of me passing my driving test. A perfectly reasonable question to ask you might think? Can you see how this kind of question, asked by a potential customer right at the start of the process is ALREADY putting some degree of responsibility for outcomes on your shoulders? Be under no illusion here, that is precisely what is going on.
When I reported here in this blog earlier this year that my local grammar school were disposing of lower performing students from the school, this is a symptom of an organisation that is literally prepared to break the law in order to sustain pass rates (grade levels). Ask yourself why is that organisation behaving in that manner? There is clearly for them, an awkward balance to be struck between maintaining high standards of student attainment so as to satisfy customer expectations vs treating each and every student with dignity and respect.
And so in our world of driving training, one wonders how customer expectations can affect outcomes. Well, if a potential customer starts from the position of asking you what outcome is likely regarding passing the driving test, then they are letting you know in no uncertain terms that you are being monitored and assessed. One could argue that is not only clear evidence of consumer power at work but it is only right and proper that a driving instructor SHOULD be held to account for their pass rates. And on the surface this all seems quite logical, until of course you are the parent of one of the students who was kicked out of the grammar school due to your child not getting sufficiently high grades in an exam. THEN you might hold a different opinion. But I believe there is a much more important aspect to take into account, and as unpalatable as this might come across, this is a genuinely held belief of mine that whilst being unfashionable to write does not in itself make it incorrect.
There is plenty of evidence around suggesting that driving training that is centred around solely assisting a pupil to pass a driving test does very little for the required development of a conscientious, continually improving newly qualified driver. Coaching a Year 6 student to pass an 11+ test is not necessarily in the best interests of that student. As such, it would be perfectly possible to have all driving instructors coaching their pupils to pass their driving test with no regard at all on the higher levels of the GDE matrix. But the argument goes "Who cares?". The customer, who after all is the person financing the training, wants a driving licence. They are not interested in higher levels of the GDE matrix. "JUST GET MY SON A LICENCE!"
Thankfully, I can happily report to you that I have successfully run a driving school not bending to this parental pressure, and my message to you as a PDI is, you do not need to either. There are very many people out there who can readily understand, accept and engage in my alternative approach to driving training. These tend to be the people who put the safety of their son/daughter above the potential savings to be had of simply passing the driving test.
So the only time I will actually PREVENT a customer from attempting a driving test is if I feel there is a potential safety issue. I feel qualified to make that assessment having the record of not one single accident in all the time my driving school has been established. If a customer is adamant to go to test with no chance of passing, ignoring my feedback, then as long as they do not represent a safety risk, then they can go to test. The option I give them if they DO represent a safety risk, is for them to present themselves for the test in their own car - that tends to focus the mind somewhat.
We can attempt to develop self-evaluation, risk assessment, self-awareness and we can advise our clients accordingly giving them the benefit of our experience gained over many years, but we can't control the decisions they make.... or can we? Over the years I have heard of driving instructors who claim of pass rates in the high 90's percentage.
I took some personal CPD in 2016 (BTEC Level 4 Award in Coaching for Driver Development), which I qualified at the very end of the year. So being very interested in knowing if that has had any impact on my pass rates, I recently wrote off to the DVSA asking for my formal statistics for 2017. Unfortunately, they got back to me with my overall statistics since 2009. I have re-requested the stats for the figures so far this year but not as yet had a response from them. I will update the blog if and when I receive that data. But for now, I am very happy to report an overall pass rate just higher than the national average at 48.53% and given my rationale above, not at all disheartened with my first time pass rate of 35.3%. I fundamentally do not 'coach' my pupils to pass driving tests, never have, and never will (yes, I do sleep soundly).
I hope this blog has offered some insight into the subject of pass rates. I do not for one second ask you to agree/disagree with my opinion expressed here but I hope it stimulates thought. At the heart of my business is my customer, and I will do everything I personally can to assist them to develop life-long driving skills and confidence.
UPDATE: On 11/12/2017 the DVSA gave me revised first time pass rate figures for period 01/01/2017-31/10/2017 which showed it to be increased to 50% which is 3% higher than the national average. This is an interesting statistic as it would tend to suggest that by developing my pupils' sense of responsibility for outcomes has increased the pass rate by 15%.
Driving Instructor Training with BIG TOM (in-car and online)
Wednesday, 6 December 2017
Driving up standards
How very easy it is for little snippets of information to pass on by in these changing times.
Lesley Young, the DVSA Chief Driving Examiner recently stated in one of the dozens of communications recently been handed out to ADI's that it was an unfortunate fact that the driving test does affect how learner drivers are trained. She then went on to explain the changes to the new test.
Pause for thought though.
It has always been the case since I have been in the industry that it is the DVSA Driving Standards that affects how learner drivers are trained. The theory being that if ADI's follow the driving standard methodology, that will then hold them in good standing for any DVSA Standards Check. But now, here we have the Chief Driving Examiner actually stating (it seems with some tinge of regret) that in fact, the structure/format of the driving test DIRECTLY affects how pupils are taught to drive.
This is no small point. For many years I have argued that if the driving test standard was raised it would have positive outcomes to the standard of training that pupils receive - I've blogged here about it many, many times.
So it seems that when the time suits, and right now appears to be one such time, then the DVSA will happily change the driving test format IN ORDER to affect driving training standards. The point is sound and very justified. Only this morning I have read a post from an ADI who is expressing annoyance that now with the new driving test going out to locations further afield, he is going to have to raise his driving lesson prices to accommodate the extra mileage he now incurs - oh how inconvenient it clearly is to now have his pupils driving more. Clearly the sooner he gets to grips with the new driving test routes, no doubt he will be much happier in that he can ensure these extra miles are ONLY covering the new routes.
But it does then re-ignite the debate about how the test could be adapted to improve standards. I have always been an advocate of Q&A between examiner and pupil while on the move to test understanding and application of key safe driving techniques. The argument against has always spoken of the means by which this open dialogue can be accurately assessed.
A driving test > undertaken this morning < by one of my own pupils highlights the necessity of a consistently fair approach adopted by driving examiners in the manner in which the test is conducted and how variances can affect outcomes.
The means by which assessment of driving ability is conducted has always in my view, and no doubt will continue to affect standards of training going on in the industry.
Lesley Young, the DVSA Chief Driving Examiner recently stated in one of the dozens of communications recently been handed out to ADI's that it was an unfortunate fact that the driving test does affect how learner drivers are trained. She then went on to explain the changes to the new test.
Pause for thought though.
It has always been the case since I have been in the industry that it is the DVSA Driving Standards that affects how learner drivers are trained. The theory being that if ADI's follow the driving standard methodology, that will then hold them in good standing for any DVSA Standards Check. But now, here we have the Chief Driving Examiner actually stating (it seems with some tinge of regret) that in fact, the structure/format of the driving test DIRECTLY affects how pupils are taught to drive.
This is no small point. For many years I have argued that if the driving test standard was raised it would have positive outcomes to the standard of training that pupils receive - I've blogged here about it many, many times.
So it seems that when the time suits, and right now appears to be one such time, then the DVSA will happily change the driving test format IN ORDER to affect driving training standards. The point is sound and very justified. Only this morning I have read a post from an ADI who is expressing annoyance that now with the new driving test going out to locations further afield, he is going to have to raise his driving lesson prices to accommodate the extra mileage he now incurs - oh how inconvenient it clearly is to now have his pupils driving more. Clearly the sooner he gets to grips with the new driving test routes, no doubt he will be much happier in that he can ensure these extra miles are ONLY covering the new routes.
But it does then re-ignite the debate about how the test could be adapted to improve standards. I have always been an advocate of Q&A between examiner and pupil while on the move to test understanding and application of key safe driving techniques. The argument against has always spoken of the means by which this open dialogue can be accurately assessed.
A driving test > undertaken this morning < by one of my own pupils highlights the necessity of a consistently fair approach adopted by driving examiners in the manner in which the test is conducted and how variances can affect outcomes.
The means by which assessment of driving ability is conducted has always in my view, and no doubt will continue to affect standards of training going on in the industry.
Friday, 1 December 2017
Date for new ADI qualifying tests
The DVSA have now confirmed the long awaited date of the new qualifying tests (Pt 2 & 3) as 23/12/2017. The link >HERE< gives a short summary of the changes.
These practical and realistic amendments, particularly to the Part 3 test are a very positive step forward and I predict that this will have extremely favourable effects on the historically very low pass rate for the test.
Not only does this change create a more meaningful assessment by making use of actual pupils rather than role play, but it also will focus the minds of PDI's on the DVSA Driving Standards from qualification through to future success as an ADI. It also ensures examiners are left uninterrupted with the important task of accurate assessment rather than also trying to role-play at the same time.
Driving Instructor Training with BIG TOM 0775 607 1464
These practical and realistic amendments, particularly to the Part 3 test are a very positive step forward and I predict that this will have extremely favourable effects on the historically very low pass rate for the test.
Not only does this change create a more meaningful assessment by making use of actual pupils rather than role play, but it also will focus the minds of PDI's on the DVSA Driving Standards from qualification through to future success as an ADI. It also ensures examiners are left uninterrupted with the important task of accurate assessment rather than also trying to role-play at the same time.
Driving Instructor Training with BIG TOM 0775 607 1464
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