Your Pass or Fail will effect your instructor

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is making 2 changes to the way that approved driving instructor (ADI) standards checks work.

ADI standards checks assess your ability to teach pupils.

The changes affect:

• when you’ll have to take a standards check

• the support you get from DVSA before you take your standards check

The changes do not apply to motorcycle trainer standards checks.

2. When you have to take an ADI standards check

Until now, you’ve had to take at least one standards check during each 4-year period that you’re registered as an ADI. The date you took your last standards check has been used to decide when you have to take your next one. The DVSA has introduced a new method to decide when you have to take your standards check. It now uses data from the driving tests your pupils have taken.

2.1 Indicators DVSA looks at

DVSA looks at data for 4 indicators for the last 12 months on a rolling basis.

They look at the data for the pupils you brought for a car driving test where your ADIbadge (certificate) was in the windscreen. It will include every driving test centre you’ve used.

DVSA records your ADI number from your badge at the start of the driving test. This links the test to you.

DVSA will look at this data for the rolling 12-month period:

• average number of driving faults per test

• average number of serious faults per test

• percentage of tests where the driving examiner had to take physical action in the interests of public safety

• overall pass rate

2.2 When the indicators will trigger a standards check

Each of the 4 indicators has a trigger point.

IndicatorTriggerAverage number of driving faults per test5 or greaterAverage number of serious faults per test0.5 or greaterPercentage of driving tests where the driving examiner had to take physical action10% or higherDriving test pass rate55% or lower. If you reach the trigger point for 3 or more of the indicators, DVSA will write to ask you to book a standards check.

DVSA will prioritise giving support to ADIs who are exceeding the trigger points by the highest margins first.

If you reach the trigger point for fewer than 3 of the indicators, you’re less likely to be asked to take a standards check. However, you might still be asked to book a standards check during each 4-year registration period.

2.3 If you’re asked to take a standards check

You’ll have to take a standards check if you’re asked to book one by DVSA. The way the standards check works and is assessed has not changed.