Dan Woodall - Approved Driving Instructor

08/06/2026

Many congratulations goes to Fearne O' Gormley for passing her test first time today.
Fearne had a very good drive in some challenging weather conditions, and having the Parallel Park for her manouvre.
Good luck with the car hunting and I hope you find your little Corsa : )
I wish you all the best, and thank you for choosing me as your instructor.

Here's what Fearne had to say:

I would really recommend Dan for a driving instructor. He is a very patient and knowledgeable whilst also being kind and helpful. It took me a while to get the hang of driving but Dan really helped me come a long way. He also helped to build my confidence, especially in the lead up to my test. Thank you Dan I really appreciate it.

12/05/2026

Many congratulations goes to Chenkai for passing his test in Bletchley today on his first attempt ! 👏😁

Chenkai had following road signs for the independent driving, and forwards bay park for his parking manoeuvre.

A well deserved result after all the hard work you put in. I wish you all the best for the future, and maybe ill see out on the road in your new fiesta 😉

Here's what Chenkai had to say:

Dan is great driving instructor. He was super patient and kind when I make mistakes. He also tries his best to personalise the lessons to each student’s learning styles. And he also tries to accommodate the students as much as possible. Highly recommend to anyone looking to learn to drive!

18/03/2026

DVSA UPDATE:

Rules for booking practical car tests:

We can confirm dates further changes to the booking service will come into force Next steps for changes to the driving test booking service

The rules for booking practical car driving tests are changing to make the system fairer. These changes are part of the outcome of our consultation to improve the way driving tests are booked.

Who these changes affect

The changes will only apply to car driving tests. If you book vocational or motorcycle tests using OBS there won’t be any changes.

When we’re making the changes

Following the changes announced in January 2026 on limiting the number of times a learner driver can change or swap their test (from 31 March 2026), we’re now able to confirm the dates for the rest of the planned rule changes.

from 12 May 2026, only learners are allowed to book a test and make changes to their own booking

from 9 June 2026, learners can move their booked test only to nearby centres

Why we’re making these changes

We know this is a significant change for driving instructors.

Misuse of the booking system has made it harder for us to offer slots fairly. The consultation response to this change was split, with some of you feeling strongly that learners should have full control. Others felt just as strongly that instructors need flexibility to manage bookings effectively.

We've made a decision based on the evidence – our consultation found that the majority of learners wanted full control and we have acted to prioritise fairness for learners and tackle exploitation. But we recognise that reasonable professionals disagree on this and we respect that.

Introducing these changes means learners should only ever pay the actual fee DVSA charges.

From 12 May 2026: only learner drivers can book and manage their own test

From 12 May 2026, no-one other than learner drivers will be able to book or manage a car driving test.

This includes unofficial booking services and cancellation finder services. These services will no longer be able to operate lawfully and your pupils should not use them.

This will be through a declaration box on the public online booking service on GOV.UK. Any bookings made through the DVSA customer service centre will need to agree to the terms verbally before making a booking.

Changes to the online business service (OBS)

The OBS you currently use to book and manage car practical driving tests for your pupils will have restricted functionality from this date. This means you will no longer be allowed to:

book tests

change tests

swap tests between pupils

cancel tests

An updated set of terms and conditions for OBS will be published ahead of the changes being introduced.

If you use a pre-funded account to pay for driving tests, you will need to wait until all current booked tests have completed. You can then complete a form on GOV.UK to request the account is closed and any money left is refunded.

Continuing to use OBS

When using OBS to book a car driving test, you will still be able to:

set your availability so learners can avoid booking tests when you are unavailable, or have tests with other learners

book other types of tests, such as bike, lorry, and ADI tests

view business financial statements

view car bookings you made before 12 May

send requests to DVSA

manage payment methods

Any business that uses the service for other test types will be able to continue using the service to book and manage tests in the same way they always have. However, they will have to sign the terms and conditions again.

Learner declaration

Alongside this from 12 May 2026, your pupils must confirm when they book their test, that they:

are booking only their own car test

agree to a new set of terms and conditions

This will be through a declaration box on the public online booking service on GOV.UK.

Your pupils will not be able to book their test if they don’t agree to these things.

From 9 June 2026: restricting the location tests can be moved to

From 9 June 2026, test centre changes will be restricted to the 3 nearest centres to wherever your pupils test is booked as of that date.

Reminder on limiting number of times a test can be changed

We previously announced we would be reducing from 6 to 2 the number of times a learner driver can change a test. This change will come into force from 31 March 2026.

Find out more

You can read more detailed guidance about what’s changing. It includes examples to help you understand the new rules and lists of where learners will be able to move tests.

Find out about the changes to driving test booking rules.

GOV.UK - The best place to find government services and information.

04/02/2026

DVSA UPDATE: Booking & Managing Driving Tests

New booking rules coming - limiting the number of times a test can be changed Changes to driving test booking rules

The rules for booking practical car driving tests are changing to make the system fairer and more secure. These changes are part of the outcome of our consultation to improve the way driving tests are booked.

What's changing

From 31 March 2026 you and your pupils will only be able to change a car driving test up to 2 times (reduced from 6). This applies to all car driving tests booked by you or your pupils.

When this rule starts, everyone with a booked test will have 2 changes available, regardless of how many changes you've made before.

A change includes:

changing the date or time changing the test centre swapping a test between 2 of your learners

We’d encourage you to make sure your pupils only book their test when they’re ready to take it and in a location they can easily travel to.

Managing your availability

You can set times when you're available to take your pupils to their driving tests. This stops your pupils from booking tests at times that do not work for you.

When your pupils use your ADI personal reference number to book their test, they will not be shown appointments at times you've marked as unavailable.

You can set:

morning and afternoon hours you're available for each day of the week

one-off times you're unavailable, such as when you're on holiday

how long you need between one test ending and the next one starting

Find out how to manage your availability for driving tests.

Ready to Pass? campaign

We’re creating new messaging to share with learner drivers through paid media advertising to encourage them to take action before the changes are introduced.

We're also working on updating the campaign toolkit to help you communicate these changes with your pupils.

We will be running webinars later this month to give you the opportunity to talk to us about the upcoming changes, learn more about the paid media campaign and the updated toolkit.

We will share dates and details about how to book your place, so look out for future emails. You can also read m

04/02/2026

DVSA UPDATE: Booking & Managing Driving Tests

New booking rules coming - limiting the number of times a test can be changed Changes to driving test booking rules

The rules for booking practical car driving tests are changing to make the system fairer and more secure. These changes are part of the outcome of our consultation to improve the way driving tests are booked.

What's changing

From 31 March 2026 you and your pupils will only be able to change a car driving test up to 2 times (reduced from 6). This applies to all car driving tests booked by you or your pupils.

When this rule starts, everyone with a booked test will have 2 changes available, regardless of how many changes you've made before.

A change includes:

changing the date or time changing the test centre swapping a test between 2 of your learners

We’d encourage you to make sure your pupils only book their test when they’re ready to take it and in a location they can easily travel to.

Managing your availability

You can set times when you're available to take your pupils to their driving tests. This stops your pupils from booking tests at times that do not work for you.

When your pupils use your ADI personal reference number to book their test, they will not be shown appointments at times you've marked as unavailable.

You can set:

morning and afternoon hours you're available for each day of the week

one-off times you're unavailable, such as when you're on holiday

how long you need between one test ending and the next one starting

Find out how to manage your availability for driving tests.

Ready to Pass? campaign

We’re creating new messaging to share with learner drivers through paid media advertising to encourage them to take action before the changes are introduced.

We're also working on updating the campaign toolkit to help you communicate these changes with your pupils.

We will be running webinars later this month to give you the opportunity to talk to us about the upcoming changes, learn more about the paid media campaign and the updated toolkit.

We will share dates and details about how to book your place, so look out for future emails. You can also read more about the changes on GOV.UK.

Unsubscribe | View email in browser

This email was sent to [email protected] using GovDelivery Communications Cloud on behalf of: Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency · Berkeley House, Croydon Street · Bristol, BS5 0DA · 0300 123 9000

GOV.UK - The best place to find government services and information.

27/01/2026

Consultation:  Introducing mandatory eyesight testing for older drivers

The Department for Transport has launched a consultation on introducing mandatory eyesight testing for older drivers in Great Britain, aimed at improving road safety by ensuring that drivers continue to meet the minimum vision standards required for safe driving.

Introducing mandatory eyesight testing for older drivers - GOV.UK

At present, drivers aged 70 and over must renew their driving licence every three years and make a self‑declaration that they meet the legal eyesight standard, with no formal test required.

The consultation seeks views on moving away from this system toward a requirement for mandatory eyesight tests at licence renewal for older drivers, including questions on:

At what age such testing should begin

How often tests should be required

Who should conduct and report the tests

How results should be submitted to the DVLA

The aim is to strike a balance between supporting independence and mobility for older drivers while enhancing road safety as visual deterioration becomes more common with age.

The consultation contains 13 questions. The spreadsheet found here contains the questions as well as space to include any details / evidence you would like PACTS to include in our response. Please focus any input on your areas of expertise. Please fill in the spreadsheet with your responses and return it as an email attachment to [email protected].

The consultation closes on 31 March 2026, in order to coordinate responses and write the PACTS response, please provide any input by 20 February 2026. PACTS aim to complete our response in advance of the deadline in order to circulate responses to members to inform their own submissions.

27/01/2026

Consultation: Introducing mandatory eyesight testing for older drivers

The Department for Transport has launched a consultation on introducing mandatory eyesight testing for older drivers in Great Britain, aimed at improving road safety by ensuring that drivers continue to meet the minimum vision standards required for safe driving.

Introducing mandatory eyesight testing for older drivers - GOV.UK

At present, drivers aged 70 and over must renew their driving licence every three years and make a self‑declaration that they meet the legal eyesight standard, with no formal test required.

The consultation seeks views on moving away from this system toward a requirement for mandatory eyesight tests at licence renewal for older drivers, including questions on:

At what age such testing should begin

How often tests should be required

Who should conduct and report the tests

How results should be submitted to the DVLA

The aim is to strike a balance between supporting independence and mobility for older drivers while enhancing road safety as visual deterioration becomes more common with age.

The consultation contains 13 questions. The spreadsheet found here contains the questions as well as space to include any details / evidence you would like PACTS to include in our response. Please focus any input on your areas of expertise. Please fill in the spreadsheet with your responses and return it as an email attachment to [email protected].

The consultation closes on 31 March 2026, in order to coordinate responses and write the PACTS response, please provide any input by 20 February 2026. PACTS aim to complete our response in advance of the deadline in order to circulate responses to members to inform their own submissions.

GOV.UK - The best place to find government services and information.

13/01/2026

https://despatch.blog.gov.uk/2025/11/19/making-adjustments-to-the-driving-test/

13/01/2026

https://despatch.blog.gov.uk/2025/11/19/making-adjustments-to-the-driving-test/

Following a successful 5-month trial, DVSA is rolling out some subtle changes to the practical driving test.