A massive congratulations to Niyati Jhalaria who today passed her test first time in Currie. Niyati completes a great few weeks for her family as her husband recently passed with us as well. Great result and enjoy everything that your new licence brings.
Jayant Narayan Kaul- Fountain Park
We are delighted to announce that Jayant Narayan Kaul today passed his test with only 2 driver marks. Thoroughly well deserved as Jayant has worked extremely hard especially as his lessons were interrupted by the pandemic.
Charlotte Ross- Longstone
We are delighted to announce that Charlotte Ross today passed her test brilliantly with only 2 driver marks. Charlotte has worked incredibly hard with her instructor Laura Jackson to achieve this. Well done to you both and we hope you enjoy many happy years of safe driving Charlotte
Sean Cruickshank- South Gyle
A huge congratulations to Sean Cruickshank who today passed first time in Currie today with minimal driver marks. Sean has worked tirelessly on achieving this and didn’t let 6 months out due to the pandemic stop him. Brilliant result Sean
Harvey Chan- Davidson Mains
A brilliant end to the week saw Harvey Chan pass his test first time and with only 2 driver marks. A confident and assured drive sees Harvey walk away with his new pink licence and open the door to new and exciting opportunities. Congratulations Harvey!
Grant Taylor- Broomhouse
A huge congratulations to Grant Taylor who today passed his test with only 3 driver marks. This is an incredible result as Covid hugely affected Grant getting out and practicing. Hard work has paid off and to make this even better is that Grant can now assist with the already great work he does in his community by being able to drive food parcels to those in need. Fantastic result and great achievement. Enjoy the new licence and all that it brings.
Mel Wood- Granton
Huge congratulations to Mel Wood who today passed her test first time in Currie today.
Mel is the last of our DVSA approved Covid driving tests for NHS and key workers.
An excellent result and delighted that we have contributed so positively during this time.
Well done again Mel, enjoy the new licence and all the advantages that it brings but remember above all to stay safe out there.
Caitlin Thomson- Broomhouse
A huge congratulations and welcome to your new Queen of the Road Caitlin Thomson who today passed her test in Currie with only 3 driver marks.
Caitlin is another front line key worker who works in the Covid testing area so this allows her to get to where she is needed quickly and at any time.
Enjoy the new licence and all the exciting new opportunities that it brings but above all remember to stay safe out there.
Demi Reilly- WesterhaIles
A huge congratulations to Demi Reilly who passed her test today in Currie with only 3 driver marks!
Demi is another front line social worker who worked tirelessly over Covid to get her licence to ensure that she can deliver a valuable service to those that really need her.
Enjoy the new licence and all that it brings but above all remember to stay safe out there
We at Compass are proud to have helped another critical worker during this challenging time for us all.
Jill McLachlan: Slateford, Edinburgh
We are delighted to announce that another key worker has passed through Compass.
Jill McLachlan today passed her test first time with NO DRIVER FAULTS in Currie today
Massive congratulations to Jill who is a pharmacist and will be able to travel to various pharmacies who are in need of her expertise assisting the public.
Well done again, enjoy the new licence and all the new opportunities it brings but above all remember to stay safe out there.
Jennifer Barns- Broomhouse
Delighted to say that Jennifer Barns today passed her test with minimal effort.
Another Key worker now able to get to where they are needed more quickly and effectively than ever.
Well done again, enjoy the new licence and all the new opportunities that undoubtedly it will bring. Above all remember to stay safe out there.
Michael Stirling- Drylaw
Two passes in one day and another key worker!
Congratulations Michael Stirling who passed first time today with a brilliant drive. Michael is a Covid tester so this allows Michael to go anywhere in the country to carry out a vital service.
Well done again, enjoy the new licence and all the opportunities it will bring but above all remember to stay safe out there.
Chris McMahon- Gorgie, Edinburgh
We are delighted to announce that Chris McMahon passed his test first time today.
Chris is an NHS front line community nurse who’s work is extremely important.
We are proud to have helped another NHS worker during Covid that allows them to be where they are really needed at any given time.
Well done again Chris, richly deserved, enjoy the licence and all the new and exciting opportunities it brings but above all remember to stay safe out there.
Sarah Bickler: Morningside
A huge congratulations to Sarah Bickler who passed today with only 1 driver mark.
Sarah is one of our brave nurses who works tirelessly in the sheltered housing for the elderly sector and protects those vulnerable from this nasty pandemic.
By passing her test Sarah can now be more flexible and quicker to respond in getting to where she is needed.
We are delighted to have been in a position to get another nurse onto the road and able to fight this virus a lot easier.
Enjoy the new licence and everything that it brings but above all remember to be safe out there.
Light at The End of The Tunnel
Well folks we are slowly getting there. Lockdown measures are gradually easing more and more which means we will be back teaching at full capacity in the not too distant future.
All of you have been fantastic in your patience with us during this unfortunate period but normality will be upon us sooner rather than later.
Please bear in mind that even though lessons may return to normal....tests will not. There will be a minimum of 4 months backlog for those that had their tests cancelled and there will be a lot.
This means that new applications for tests will subsequently then be pushed back. We will work with current and new pupils to get each and every one of you passed but there may be a bit of moving and trade off. We will make sure that if there is any disruption then it will be minimal.
Can’t wait to get back teaching you all and meeting new pupils eager to pass with us.
In the meantime stay safe and keep helping suppress this nasty virus.
Thanks
Steve and Laura.
Stephanie Field- Edinburgh
A huge congratulations to Stephanie Field who today passed her test in Livingston. That’s another frontline NHS worker able to drive to where they are really need during this pandemic.
Well done again and enjoy the new licence and all the new opportunities it will no doubt bring you. Above all else though, remember to stay safe out there.
Restarting Lessons and Tests to Everyone
Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency
Dear Steven,
I wrote to you on 22 April 2020 to set out the steps that the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has taken to help slow the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19), and what support the government has put in place for you.
I now want to update you on the planning we’re doing to help return to life that is as close to normal as possible, as quickly and fairly as possible, in a way that avoids a second peak of infections.
The plan to rebuild: the UK government’s COVID-19 recovery strategy
On 11 May 2020, the government published its COVID-19 recovery strategy which:
sets out the progress the UK has made to date in tackling the coronavirus outbreak
explains the plans for moving to the next phase of the response to the virus
Our priority remains to protect the public and save lives. That’s why any easing of measures must meet the government’s 5 tests. These are:
Protect the NHS’s ability to cope.
A sustained and consistent fall in the daily death rates from COVID-19.
Reliable data showing that the rate of infection is decreasing to manageable levels across the board.
Be confident that the range of operational challenges, including testing capacity and PPE, are in hand, with supply able to meet future demand.
Be confident that any adjustments to the current measures will not risk a second peak of infections that overwhelms the NHS.
Driving instruction and driving tests
Other than emergency training and tests for critical workers, driving instruction and driving tests have not yet been able to restart because the risk of transmission of the virus in vehicles is higher.
In his statement on 10 June, the Prime Minister reiterated that the government will remain cautious and measure the effect of the changes it makes. The Prime Minister explained this means moving slower than we’d have liked in some areas.
Driving instruction and tests will only restart when the government is confident that the assessment of risk warrants it, subject to the 5 tests and further detailed scientific advice.
In the meantime, I want to re-emphasise that you should continue to limit driving lessons to critical workers who are preparing for an emergency driving test.
Once again, I would like to thank those of you who have been able to offer driving lessons to critical workers during these unprecedented times.
We will, of course, share more information with you as soon as it’s available – including the dates that driving instruction and driving tests can restart.
Planning to restart our services
Teams across DVSA have been working extremely hard over the past few months to make sure we’re in the best possible position to restart our services as soon as it’s safe to do so.
Our priority is to make sure that you, your pupils and our staff stay safe.
The work is split into these main areas:
preparing guidance for driving examiners on carrying out driving tests
making sure our driving test centres are ready to reopen
making sure we have PPE in place
understanding which driving examiners might not be able to return to testing straight away
planning driving test schedules so that anyone who had a test cancelled because of coronavirus is considered a priority
understanding how the situation might be different in England, Scotland and Wales
I want to explain what each of these involves in a little more detail.
Preparing guidance for driving examiners
We are reviewing and updating the guidance for driving examiners about carrying out driving tests. This includes things like the PPE they need to wear, greeting candidates and cleaning equipment such as sat navs and tablets.
We’re also working hard to make sure we’ll be able to quickly help the NHS Test and Trace service (Test and Protect in Scotland, and Test, Trace, Protect in Wales) should a driving test candidate or driving examiner develop symptoms in the days after a test.
Making sure driving test centres are ready to reopen
Some of our driving test centres have now been closed for 12 weeks. We need to make sure they’re thoroughly checked before we can reopen them.
As just one example, we need to make sure the hot and cold water systems are free from legionella bacteria (which causes Legionnaires’ disease).
Many of the contractors that we rely on to do this work also put their services on hold during the lockdown. We’re busy working with them to get our test centre network safe and ready.
Making sure we have PPE in place
To help keep you, your pupils and driving examiners stay safe, we’ve ordered PPE for all driving examiners. This includes face coverings and gloves.
Since the start of pandemic, there has been a high demand for this type of equipment. Like many organisations, we’ve had to wait for supplies to become available.
Understanding which driving examiners will be available
As you’ll appreciate, some of our driving examiners are either clinically vulnerable from coronavirus, or extremely vulnerable. Others might live with or care for people in those groups.
We’ve been working with all our driving examiners to find out more about their situation so we know how many will be able to return to carrying out driving tests as soon as we’re able.
Planning driving test schedules
When we suspended driving tests, we rescheduled all your pupils’ driving tests to a named date and time.
But we now have 3 issues to think about:
rescheduled dates might not be suitable for you and your pupils, as situations may have changed
not all driving examiners will be available
social distancing measures might limit the number of tests we can carry out
This means we need to think about the best way to make sure your pupils can take their test at a convenient time, in a way that’s fair to everyone.
The fairest way we can do this is to put all the rescheduled tests ‘on hold’.
This means the test will no longer go ahead on the originally rescheduled date.
We will then ask people in the backlog to go online and choose their preferred date and time. We’ll invite them to do this in batches, based on when their test should have originally taken place.
We will contact you before we start this process, so you can make your pupils aware of what’s happening. We will also contact them directly with more information.
We are also planning how we can continue to help critical workers to get a test as a priority throughout this process.
Understanding how differences in England, Scotland and Wales might affect us
As you will be aware, public health is the responsibility of the devolved governments in Scotland and Wales. This means that there are currently different lockdown rules in place for England, Scotland and Wales.
We are talking to the devolved administrations about how this might affect us restarting our services in Scotland and Wales.
Financial support
If you’re self-employed, you can claim a grant through the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme. The scheme allows you to claim a taxable grant worth 80% of your average monthly trading profits, paid out in a single instalment covering 3 months’ worth of profits, and capped at £7,500 in total.
If you’re eligible and want to claim the first grant you must make your claim on or before 13 July 2020.
The scheme is being extended. You’ll be able to make a claim for a second and final grant in August 2020. If you’re eligible, the second and final grant will be a taxable grant worth 70% of your average monthly trading profits, paid out in a single instalment covering a further 3 months’ worth of profits, and capped at £6,570 in total.
The government is also providing the following help for the self-employed:
deferral of Self Assessment Income Tax and VAT payments
grants for businesses that pay little or no business rates
Business Interruption Loan Scheme
Bounce Back Loan
Find out more about the support available at https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus/business-support.
Keeping you updated
I know the last few months have been challenging. I know the uncertainty is worrying. And I know you are concerned about how you can support your customers, your business and your family.
We will update you with news about driving instruction and driving tests as soon as we are able to.
I also urge you to keep up to date with the driving instructors’ National Associations Strategic Partnership (NASP) website at http://www.n-a-s-p.co.uk.
Coronavirus is the biggest and most complex challenge the country has faced in a generation. Our aim has been to help slow the spread of coronavirus and to save lives. This continues to be our overriding priority.
Thank you for your patience and understanding.
I hope that you, your family and your friends remain safe and well.
Yours sincerely,
Gareth Llewellyn
Chief Executive
Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency
We Made The News! Good Morning Scotland 11/6/20
We made the national news on BBC Radio Scotland regarding our thoughts on the DVSA, lessons during Covid19 and how we see the industry change for instructors during this time.
We have had incredible support from everyone and thank you so much for your great thoughts on the piece. We hope we can continue to contribute to the industry more during our time but above all we look forward to getting back to teaching EVERYONE to drive as lockdown eases.
We Made The News! Reporting Scotland 11/6/20
We made the national news on TV regarding our thoughts on the DVSA, lessons during Covid19 and how we see the industry change for instructors during this time.
We have had incredible support from everyone and thank you so much for your great thoughts on the piece. We hope we can continue to contribute to the industry more during our time but above all we look forward to getting back to teaching EVERYONE to drive as lockdown eases.
Michele Thomson- Broomhouse
Absolutely delighted to announce that Michele Thomson today passed her test with minimal driver marks.
What’s even better is that Michele is a front line nurse for the NHS fighting against Covid 19!!
enjoy the new licence and all the opportunities it brings but above all remember to stay safe out there.
