Instructor Support Update – 1st December
Post-Lockdown Driving Lessons, Driving Test Policies and Theory Tests
We are delighted to receive the following confirmation from the DVSA that driving lessons can resume in all tiers in England from tomorrow 2nd December, alongside further updates on theory tests, training and driving test policies:
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Government guidance on driving lessons and driving tests
This is an update about:
• How local alert tiers affect driver training and testing
• Waiting rooms
How local restriction tiers affect driver training and testing
The Government has confirmed that driver training and testing can safely restart as normal in areas in tier 1 and 2 when the current national restrictions end on 2 December.
The Government has also confirmed that driving lessons can restart in all tiers when the current national restrictions end on 2 December.
Additional measures for driving tests in tier 3 areas
Our top priority is to keep you, your pupils and our staff safe. To allow us to continue testing in tier 3 areas we will restart car practical tests in tier 3 areas from 3 December and will be introducing additional safety measures in these areas.
These include:
• Reducing the number of car practical tests our examiners carry out per day to 5 in tier 3 areas
• Anyone who has a car practical test booked in a tier 3 area who is exempt from wearing a face covering may have to delay their test until the area moves out of tier 3. We will reschedule their test if we cannot find a volunteer driving examiner to conduct their test without them wearing a face covering
What this means to you and your pupils
We’ll email everyone in a tier 3 area who has a test booked to let them know about the additional measures.
We’ll also be contacting anyone whose test has been affected by these additional measures to let them know what will happen next.
2 December tests
The Government has clarified that all car practical and theory testing can resume on 2 December in tier 1 and 2 areas. We previously rescheduled tests booked for this day to a later date.
If you or your pupil had a practical test previously scheduled for 2 December in a tier 1 or 2 area we will be in contact with you today, 1 December, to offer the opportunity to rebook the test for 2 December.
We did not want to automatically rearrange your pupils test to 2 December in case you or your pupil were no longer available or in case your pupil needs refresher lessons with you before your test.
We are very sorry for any inconvenience this has caused for you and your pupils.
Waiting rooms
Following the successful reopening of waiting rooms in a number of locations, we are able to reopen a further 94 waiting rooms in early December.
We’ll be in touch soon with more information about this.
Making sure your candidates are ready
It is important that your candidates are prepared for their test before you present them. Some of your pupils might not feel ready as they have not been able to have any lessons over the previous 4 weeks.
If your pupil feels they are not ready to take their driving test and need more time to practice they can change the date for free by visiting GOV.UK.
If your pupils are unable to find a test slot at their chosen test centre, they should look further afield as they should be prepared to drive in areas they are unfamiliar with.
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Government guidance on theory tests
The Government has confirmed that theory tests can safely restart in all tiers on 2 December.
2 December
We previously rescheduled tests booked for this day to a later date.
If you or your pupil had a theory test previously scheduled for 2 December we will be in contact with you soon to offer the opportunity to rebook the test for 2 December.
We did not want to automatically rearrange your pupils test to 2 December in case your pupil was no longer available.
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Sharing our updated driving test guidance for examiners
We have made some changes to our COVID driving test guidance for driving examiners. We have made these changes to make it clear to you, your pupils and our examiners of what to expect on test.
Vehicle ventilation
The car must have the windows open throughout the test. Your pupils are advised to wear clothing suitable for the weather. At least 2 windows on opposite sides of the car must be open throughout the test. Any combination of windows can be opened, for example, one from the front and back.
In bad weather, you do not need to open the windows so far that it makes the inside of your car overly wet.
Vehicle cleanliness
Because of coronavirus (COVID-19), you must clean the inside of your car before your test. This means:
Tidying any unnecessary items away from the dashboard, footwells, door pockets, cup holders and seats.
Wiping down the dashboard and car controls and touchpoints such as door handles and seat belt controls
The examiner will do an additional clean of some surfaces.
Completing insurance and residency declaration
Your pupils will also be able to fill out an insurance and residency declaration and have their licence checked inside the car in bad weather.
Please tell your pupils to bring a pen with them to complete the paperwork.
Our examiners will only offer a pen if they do not have one, which will be wiped with an anti-viral wipe on return.
Sharing our updated driving test guidance
As with previous guidance, we have shared the updated COVID driving test guidance for driving examiners with the training industry.
We hope this guidance will help you prepare your car and your pupil for their test.