What is grade 6
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Are all driving instructors the same? - Intro
To many a driving instructor is a driving instructor - right? Wrong. It is a little know fact that not only are some driving instructors not 'fully' qualified but the ones that are 'fully' qualified are graded on their competence from 1 to 6.
What does fully qualified mean?
To become a fully qualified driving instructor you need to take, and pass, a test that is broken into three parts. Part one is a theory test, Part two is a driving test (longer and more involved than the usual learner test) and finally Part three which is a test of your instructional skills.
It is possible, however, that when you have taken and passed the first two parts you can teach pupils as a P.D.I. (provisional driving instructor). At this stage you are not fully qualified and have not even been assessed on you ability to teach. This practice is not illegal and you may not even know if you instructor is a P.D.I. A simple way to check is look at the badge they display in their windscreen. If it is a pink triangle then they are a P.D.I. if however it is a green octogan then they are fully qualified having passed all three parts.
What do the grades mean?
All fully qualified driving instructors are periodically assessed by the Driving Standards Agency by means of under going a 'check test'. An examiner sits in on a lesson and observes the instructor teaching. At the end of the assessment the instructor is given a grade that reflects their competence. The grades range from 1 to 6.
Grade 1 - Overall standard of instruction extremely poor or dangerous with incorrect or even dangerous instruction.
Grade 2 - A poor overall performance with numerous deficiencies in instructional technique.
Grade 3 - An inadequate overall performance with some deficiencies in instructional technique.
Grade 4 - A competent overall performance with some minor deficiencies in instructional technique.
Grade 5 - A good overall standard of instruction with some minor weakness in instructional technique.
Grade 6 - Overall performance to a very high standard with no significant instructional weakness.
Should an instructor get a grade from 1 to 3 it is deemed unsatisfactory and will need to take the assessment again.
Most UK driving instructors are grade 4 and only 6% of the 45,000 UK driving instructors achieve grade 6.
So, are all driving instructors the same?....