James Valente - RED Driver Training

15/06/2026

A massive congratulations to Ed on passing his practical driving test today, Monday 15th June 2026, at Sevenoaks Test Centre on his first attempt! 🎉🚗

Ed passed with only three driver faults, which is a fantastic achievement and a great reflection of the hard work he has put in throughout his lessons.

It’s been an absolute pleasure being part of Ed’s journey. He has shown great commitment and dedication in developing his skills, building confidence and becoming a safe and competent driver.

I’m really pleased for you Ed - a brilliant drive and thoroughly well deserved 👏🏽🚘

12/06/2026

(Info sent out by DVSA, feel free to use and share)

10/06/2026

Learning to drive isn’t just about passing a driving test.

In fact, I’ve often told my students that the driving test is simply a by-product of learning how to drive safely and responsibly. The real goal is building the skills, knowledge, attitude and experience needed to keep yourself and everyone else safe on the road.

I recently came across this excellent resource from Protect Young Drivers, which highlights many of the risks facing young and newly qualified drivers and offers valuable information for both parents and learners:

https://www.protectyoungdrivers.com/whatarethisrisks

As driving instructors, we have a responsibility that goes far beyond helping learners achieve a pass certificate. We are helping to develop decision-making, hazard awareness, risk management and confidence behind the wheel. These are skills that will stay with a driver for life.

Parents also play a vital role. The journey doesn’t begin and end with driving lessons. Encouragement, support, positive role modelling and ongoing conversations about road safety all help young drivers develop the right mindset.

As a parent myself, I understand the concerns that come with seeing your children gain independence on the roads. That’s why resources such as Protect Young Drivers are so important. Safe driving isn’t achieved through passing a test alone; it’s built through experience, guidance and a commitment to continual learning.

Together, parents and driving instructors can help ensure that young people don’t just become qualified drivers, they become safe, responsible and considerate road users.

Because at the end of the day, the objective isn’t to pass a test. The objective is to arrive home safely, every journey, for the rest of your life…

09/06/2026

Changes to driving test booking happening today. ⚠️

From today (9 June), if you move your driving test, you can only move it to one of the 3 nearest test centres to where it's currently booked.

This is the remaining change we committed to make by the end of Spring 2026:

📅 31 March — test changes limited to 2 per booking

🔒 12 May — only learners can book, change or cancel their own test

📍 9 June — test moves limited to 3 nearest centres

Since 12 May, we've suspended 3605 accounts for breaking the rules and reported apps to app stores for removal. We're not stopping there.

Find out what today's change means for your booking 👇 https://ow.ly/JRQr50Z9eCk

18/05/2026

A quick heads-up on swapping driving tests.

The DVSA now allows learners to swap practical test appointments with another learner using the official government system. This can be really helpful if you already have a test booked but are hoping for a more suitable date or location.

You can find the official info and swap service here:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/swapping-your-driving-test-with-another-learner-driver

Since the recent rule changes more tests that were previously being held by cancellation apps/sites are starting to come back into the system too - so it’s definitely worth checking regularly.

Also don’t forget to look at nearby test centres as well, as availability can vary a lot between areas.

Please make sure you check with your instructor before making any changes or swapping your test date to make sure they’re available and more importantly you’re ready to pass your test.

Hope this helps 🙂

You may be able to swap your car driving test with another learner driver by phone if you both already have a test booked and want each other's test slot.

12/05/2026

Putting learners in control 🚗

From today, only learners will be able to book driving tests.

We’ve made this change to:

Clampdown on test reselling and exploitation by third parties ⛔

Make sure tests are accessible only to learners 🔐

Provide a fairer booking system ✅

Read more on GOV.UK 👇
https://ow.ly/viIc50YWwOA

10/05/2026

08/05/2026

Huge congratulations to Georgia on passing her driving test today, Friday 8th May 2026 at Sevenoaks Test Centre FIRST TIME with only 4 driver faults! 🚗✅

Now… as you can probably tell from the photos, it was a slightly eventful test to say the least 😅 I’m still not entirely sure who the examiner was… but Stevie Wonder did cross my mind at one stage judging by the state of my poor car afterwards 😂 A few trips to the body shop might be needed for this one!

Jokes aside, it’s genuinely been a fantastic experience teaching Georgia. Watching her progress from the early lessons to becoming a confident and capable driver has been brilliant.

A huge thank you also goes out to Georgia’s parents for all the support with the private practice sessions. This genuinely makes a massive difference in helping learners build the experience, confidence and skills needed to become safe and successful drivers. The extra time behind the wheel really does pay off, and today’s result is proof of that 👏🏽

Georgia, welcome to the full licence club! 🎉
I’m really pleased to have been part of your learning journey and see you reach this milestone today is an honour. Your learner driver lessons with me may be finished, but this is only the beginning of your driving journey.

Take care, stay safe on the roads and enjoy the freedom that comes with it. Wishing you all the very best 🚘 well done!! 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

(Credit to Georgia’s Dad for the edited celebration photo 😂 see comments for original)

03/05/2026

🤔🛑 What does this road sign mean?

Share our weekly quiz with your students to help test their knowledge!

👉 Make sure they know the most common UK traffic signs by reading Know Your Traffic Signs: https://ow.ly/tjJv50XNL0G