Imran passed!

Had a lovely lad pass today :)

Imran came to me a few months ago and said "I am ready for my test I just need a few lessons to brush up"
"So what exactly do you think you need to work on?" I asked.
"Just my observations, the rest is fine"
JUST observations!!  In my mind the most inportant thing of all after planning.

It turns out his Dad had been teaching him and his sister and did a really good job on the basic controls but when it came to junctions he always told them when to go and which lane to be in so they had absolutely no sense of independence.

I find this quite common because when a parent teaches their child to drive their main priority (rightly so) is the safety of that child.  On approach to a junction a parent will look around to see if it is safe to go but will not check if the driver is looking and so will completely miss the fact that they are waiting to be told when to go.  My priority, however is the FUTURE safety of their child so when we are approaching a junction my training allows me to look to see if it safe to go whilst at the same time checking that the learner is assessing adequately and building up their OWN judgement skills.

After my first lesson with Imran it was clear that he was using no observations at junctions, especially roundabouts, except a quick glance and then off.  Up until now he had been lucky because Dad had only taken him out at quiet times and on quiet roads.

My first reaction was to give him a mock test to show what level of independence was expected and then to discus with him whether he still thought he was test ready.

To be fair to him he was dissappointed but totally understood my viewpoint and so changed the test date he had booked for 2 weeks ahead and put his mind to being a good and safe driver.

15 lessons down the line he was a great little driver, extremely safe and very responsible and he admitted that the difference was big and would probably save his life now he had the skills to avoid accidents.  It would probably not have taken 15 lessons if his test last month had not been cancelled due to snow and he hadn't insisted on having extra lessons.

So well done Imran!  A great attituse from a 17 year old inner city lad with loads of bad influences amongst his mates who can now go back and tell them his Examiner made a point of saying how good his drive was. 

He earned that!