Update on private practice in England

From today (29 March) essential journey guidance is changing in England. This means that learner drivers in England are able to take private practice during non-essential journeys.

The private practice must still be with someone from their own household or support bubble.

Letting your pupils know
We are emailing all theory test and practical test candidates with a test booking to let them know that from today they can practice driving with someone from their household or support bubble on more than essential journeys.

For your pupils with a theory test booked this is a good way for them to put the knowledge and theory they have learnt in to practice. This is particularly important for your pupils who learn whilst doing.

For your pupils who have a practical test booked this is a good way for them to practice their skills before restarting lessons with you. DVSA research with learners found that those who had practice with friends and family were 1.4 times more likely to have passed their test compared to those that didn’t have private practice.

There is guidance on getting the most from private practice in the official learning to drive guide available from TSO Shop.

It’s important that you discuss which areas of driving each of your pupils need to work on during private practice. This will help them cover areas they need to improve on as they prepare for their test. Your pupils can record their private practice using the useful free record which can be downloaded from GOV.UK