Read the government’s full national survey (of about 15% of all ADIs) here.

Can we infer anything useful about the respective driving environments / test candidates (or local road users) from this …?

I wonder if all test centres are posting these in their waiting rooms, and for whom? To focus ADIs’ attention?

Nine years ago, ADIs were advised to adopt "client-centred learning". Thereafter, we have been government-assessed according to 17 "core competencies" in an observed piece of our teaching (the "Standards Check").

In 2014 there were approximately 18,000 "Grade A" instructors. Since then, the number has dropped rapidly. The number of SC fails has also increased dramatically, from a few hundred to nearly a thousand.

The number of Grade A instructors at March 2023 was 8,856. That's 9,000 fewer! And it's 600 fewer than 9 months ago.

It will be interesting to see what happens if the SC threshold is raised to 34. Many ADIs seek extra training but many don't change how they teach and still do it the same way as they did when they qualified, 20 years ago.

One ADI (expressing an opinion on social media) thinks it's a lot easier now than in the preceding Check Tests. But then, he says, "I understand what's required. The examiners were not so well trained. And there was no customer service."

The figures should be updated again soon.