Thread 15 - Corona Cohort Year 12, 2021 Lateral Flow & Driving Tests

[orangecinnamon]

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@ealingwestmum

BWJ; the driving package taken also helps, so in our case the instructor does all the booking. He knows if one of his students is not ready, he pulls them and swaps for another. And holds some capacity himself. I just paid for a total number of hours (20) and tests an he sorts the rest.

I hope you get sorted, I think Y13s have already had enough to contend with.

That's a really good system - much better.

Thanks, yes, Yr 13 has been a challenge to say the least.

I agree. It's been even shittier for the Y13's than it has for our Y12's.

BigWoollyJumpers you may be surprised. My niece and nephew started lessons last Oct and only got a couple in before lockdown and started back this week and it all came back to them. It won't be wasted I'm sure.

Really hoping that at £70 per 2 hour driving lessons that DDs instructor sorts tests out etc.

DS passed his theory this morning
He used the official DVSA 4 in 1 app for £9.99 (not sure if it is the same one) but to be honest only started it last week. He got 46/50 and a lower mark in the hazard perception but a pass nonetheless. I have been online to try to book a practical test and of my ten nearest test centres only one has availability and that is in September. I haven’t booked as we don’t want to go there. I think I will be checking daily for new test slots.

As for how we got it organised, DS was 17 in Feb. I organised the instructor last summer and got on her waiting list, he had two off road lessons in the autumn with her and otherwise it has just been with me since his birthday. The instructor hopes to take him for proper lessons in late May when those learners who had tests cancelled should have passed, fingers crossed.

@BigWoollyJumpers I bought DS a small car and took him out myself to get some practice. He's only had one formal lesson which I was amazed at being available but I was also able to book a lesson with BSM for this week if I had wanted to. I went on line yesterday to book the theory test and pretty much the whole of June was free to book except weekends. I had a choice of three towns between 12-20 miles away. We're a long way from booking a practical test.

I hope you manage to get things sorted again for your DD, I bet it will come back to her quickly once she's back in the car.

Congratulations to you DS @20newnames!

Well done to your DS @20newnames.

Have got DD added to a wait list for driving lessons (birthday not till summer hols). Still not applied for a licence yet as waiting to see if she needs to declare ADHD before applying but fingers crossed can apply for licence and then theory test in August.

Also just checked my own licence and noticed it expires next month.

Thanks both!

👏👏 *20newnames!

Great news 20newnames

Thanks! He worked out from the app that he did 17 practice theory tests in total, all over the last week and at least 7 of them in the last 24hrs!! While we wanted him to pass, I’ll be honest a tiny bit of us wanted him to realise that not putting work in leads to failure, nope he’s learnt that last minute works 🤦‍♀️

@20newnames that's great he passed. Ds also used 4 in 1 but it was £4.99 at the time. Not sure if the same.

@AnneOfCleavage I have moaned at £54 per 2 hour lesson. I'm thankful they aren't £70!!

DS’s instructor put her rates up from £30 to £35ph before Christmas but agreed on £32.50 for us so it will be £65 for a two hour lesson when he starts.

I keep trying to get him to practice more with me, at least it should be cheaper overall but while he’s happy to practice when he’s going somewhere he won’t practice for the sake of it so will take a while I think.

Well done to your DS @20newnames! Mine practised a lot and failed so not sure that was a good life lesson for him....!!

Has anyone tried one the apps that claim to get an earlier driving test? I'm tempted to try for one in august instead of later in sept that we currently have. It's on a school day as that was the only free test this year on the dvla site. It would be better in the school hols. But there are several apps. I don't know which to try.

Congratulations newnamesds!

£33 per hour lesson here in Surrey.
I'm in the wrong game!

Icanbe, I fear you are at the head of this thread, on this one, so not many of us can advise.
But I too will be using those apps aswell. Ds1 is ready to sit practical, as soon as theory is passed.

Well done to 20newnames DS - id think like you that it doesn't teach them much if they pass with very little work input but also be relieved it's over and done with.
Hope your DS isn't too disheartened ester and can take it again quickly while his knowledge is still forefront is his mind.

@Oblomov21 yours is ready for practical sooner. Ds won't be ready for a while. He could have been if he'd driven out with me. But he wouldn't. He's still reluctant. He doesn't like the car now...the instructors new one is much easier, apparently. He says the gears are clunky and the steering stiff.

I thought someone may have used an app for older dc's.

Ds says a girl in his year has used an app and now has a test in a few weeks. He doesn't know which app though.

Doesn't it piss you off, that with minimal effort try pass?

Tbf Ds1 has been studying religiously.

But was very very casual re the damage done to his car that Dh got repaired. His lack of respect to Dh was so sad it made me wince.

Don't get me started on how rude and entitled he is.

My favourite, old Simon Sinek,

reminds me how awfully entitled they are.
I hate it with a passion. I try to instil in ds's, but it's just pointless.

All his mates have been bought brand new cars. £60k vw cars. He's still proud of his £2k car. So he should be! I bought mine and paid for all my lessons!

@Oblomov21 ds1's best friend and his twin brother were both bought almost new fiesta's. Another lad in his year also had a brand new one. So ds's Corsa seemed quite old. So now ds2 has it he thinks it's ancient. But it's 2013 so it's not that old. I'd have loved a car that new at 17. I had a battered vw beetle. It was 22 years old. But I really liked that car. A lot of youngsters seem so spoilt now, it probably makes a difference where we live too. To be fair the Corsa is brown. So it's not a nice looking car. But it's good enough for a learner and to see them through the first years after passing.

I know icanbe, I know.
FFS.

Lovely to hear about these test successes. Dd seems to have totally gone off the idea. I think because she is a July baby so will only be over a year driving before...hopefully Uni she doesn't need a car for college as it 15 min walk. But if she doesn't learn now I fear opportunities few and far between