Faults are the evidence. Needs are the cause. If you only ever fix the thing you saw, you will be fixing it again next week.

This episode is about the gap between those two words, and why it decides more Part 3 and Standards Check results than almost anything else on the form. Competency 1 asks whether the trainer identified the pupil's learning goals and needs. Phil has never seen an instructor score a 1 there and still walk away with a pass, because when that one goes wrong everything after it is built on sand. You can deliver a genuinely good lesson on the wrong thing.

A pupil stalls. A pupil misses a blind spot. A pupil sits in second when they should be in third. Every one of those is a moment, and every one of them has something underneath it. The job is to keep asking "yeah, but why" until you find what that something is.

The difference matters more than it sounds. Fix the fault and you get a pupil who remembers not to do it, at least for the rest of the lesson. Fix the need and you get a pupil who understands, which lasts, and which fixes every other place that same gap was going to show up.

Phil works through two examples in detail. The gear change, where "change up at 20mph" quietly teaches a learner a rule instead of a reason, and where the honest question to any instructor is whether they actually do that themselves. And the blind spot, where "I just forgot" is never the end of the conversation. Ask a pupil whether they forget to look before crossing the road and the answer is no, because they have evidence that one is dangerous and no evidence yet that the other one is.

Which tells you the need. And it might not be the need you expected. Sometimes it is awareness of risk. Sometimes it is pure cognitive overload, a pupil with so much going on at their feet that there is no brain space left to look. Those two look identical from the passenger seat and they need completely different lessons.

One more thing worth saying out loud: you do not need the fault to happen in order to find the need. You can spot it in something a pupil says, or simply from knowing where they are in their journey. Waiting for the mistake is a choice, not a requirement.

What we cover

• What separates a fault from a need, and why the driving test trains all of us to see only the first one
• Standards Check and Part 3 competency 1, and why it quietly decides the rest of the sheet
• Why a pupil who remembers is fragile and a pupil who understands is not
• The gear change example: what "change at 20mph" actually teaches, and what it leaves out
• The blind spot example: why "I just forgot" is the start of the conversation, not the end
• Telling risk awareness apart from cognitive overload, and why the fix is different for each
• Finding a need before the fault ever happens

Key takeaways

• Treat the fault as evidence, not as the problem. Ask why. Then ask why again.
• "I forgot" is a symptom. Keep digging until you reach something you can actually teach.
• Fix the need and you fix every future instance of it, not just the one on that roundabout.
• If a pupil is overloaded, take work off them first and hand it back as their control improves.
• You can identify a need without waiting for the mistake.
• Do not literally say "yeah, but why" to a pupil. Fluff the question up a bit.

Mentioned in this episode

• The previous episode on not letting mistakes happen
• Standards Check and Part 3 competency 1: identifying the pupil's learning goals and needs

Want to train with Inspire? www.inspireinstructortraining.co.uk

This one came straight out of a question in our Skool community, and it's the argument that

splits every instructor Facebook group going: do you step in and be proactive, or do you let

the pupil make the mistake and learn from it?

Phil's answer is that it's a false choice. Both are right. Both work. The whole thing hangs on

when you use each one, and why — and on the fact that "learning from mistakes" and "learning

from experience" are not the same thing, even though we use them as if they are.

It's also the first of the new shorter format: 10–15 minute episodes, one topic, no waffle.

What we cover:

- Why proactive coaching and experiential learning aren't opposites, and what actually decides

which one you reach for

- The trainer-in-the-back test: would you rather flounder for half an hour, or be redirected

and shown what good feels like?

- The same roundabout approach played two ways — coached proactively, and left to go wrong

- How to get the thinking without the spoon-feeding, using the conversation before the event

- The three places where letting them experiment is absolutely the right call

- The pupil stuck in third at the lights — safe to let them stall, but is it the right thing to do?

Key takeaways:

- A positive experience they can reflect on beats a failure they have to recover from. Most

pupils learn more from "that went well, why?" than from "that went badly, why?"

- Stop calling it a mistake. In a car park it's an experiment. The goal isn't finishing the bay,

the goal is learning how the car behaves — say that out loud to your pupil.

- Do your thinking work before the event, not after it. Ask what might make them slow down on

the approach, then let them meet it. Now it's something they worked out, not something you told

them, and it sticks.

- Deliberately explore the extremes in a safe space. Gas harder than you should — what happens?

Barely any — what happens? Clutch up fast, then as slow as you can. Let them find the middle.

- "It's safe" is not the same as "it's the right thing to do." If they're about to pull away in

third with nothing behind you, you can let it happen — but ask whether the negative feeling

earns its place.

- The bit most instructors skip: if you do rescue them, still analyse it. Same conversation, same

reasons, same depth as if they'd stalled in traffic. Rescuing and then moving on as though

nothing happened is where the learning gets lost.

Mentioned in this episode:

- Our Skool community — where this week's question came from

- 100+ hours of training content at www.inspireinstructortraining.co.uk

Want to train with Inspire? www.inspireinstructortraining.co.uk

]Episode summary:

In this episode, Diana Todd is joined by Kat Tomkinson (Driving Instructor Kat) to discuss PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance) and how it can show up in driving lessons when autonomy feels threatened. Kat shares practical ways to reduce demand, build trust, and keep learning non-judgemental — including using hypothetical scenarios and adapting communication. The conversation also covers Kat’s standards check: what the pressure felt like, how she reframed it positively, and how she prepared for success.

What we cover:

1. Kat’s journey into instructing after the COVID period and what she enjoys most about the job
2. Why many pupils / Instructors experience “resistance” that may actually be a nervous system response
3. PDA explained as autonomy threat → fight/flight/freeze/fall response
4. How seemingly neutral questions (“What could be improved?”) can sometimes trigger defensiveness
5. Practical lesson tools: visual aids, whiteboard scenarios, “future-focused” coaching
6. When offering choice helps — and when choice can feel like pressure
7. How to build rapport and trust so learners feel safe enough to self-reflect
8. Standards check experience: nerves, mindset, communication, and preparation
9. Preparing for the 40-minute “snapshot” when your normal lessons are much longer

Key takeaways:

1. Reduce perceived judgement; keep language neutral and future-focused
2. When someone is triggered, “backing off” can be the most productive move
3. Trust and rapport can be the difference between resistance and reflection
4. Standards checks are easier to handle when you keep CPD ongoing and reframe it as a positive check of your service

Guest links / contact:

1. Kat Tomkinson — Driving Instructor Kat (Facebook & Instagram)
2. Website/contact: drivinginstructorkat.blogspot.com

In this first episode of the new look Inspire Instructor Training Podcast, host Diana Todd chats with Sarah Baldock, founder of SB Driving School in Maidstone, Kent. Together they explore what it means to be a driving instructor in today’s world — balancing life, learning, and the love of helping others succeed.

Sarah shares her journey from redundancy to independence, how she uses dashcam footage to reflect on her teaching, and the unexpected lessons learned from her students. The pair also discuss social media — both the opportunities it creates and the challenges it brings — and how instructors can show up authentically online without feeling the pressure to “keep up with the Joneses.”

Key Topics:

- Using lesson recordings for self-reflection and CPD

- Creating a safe, accountable space for pupils to give feedback

- Managing negativity and staying kind on social media

- Building your confidence as a mentor and ordinary instructor

- The importance of compassion and community in the industry

Best Quotes:

“You don’t have to write a book, you don’t have to go to expos — just reflect on yourself and do the best you can. That’s enough.” – Sarah Baldock

“Being ordinary isn’t a small thing. It’s being real, relatable, and making a difference — one learner, one PDI, one mentee at a time.” – *Diana Todd*

“I watched my lessons back because I wanted to know what made me feel like that — why did that lesson go so well?” – *Sarah*

“Creating an environment where your pupils can hold you accountable is no small feat.” – *Diana*

“We need more compassion in this industry — more walking in each other’s shoes.” – *Diana*

🎧 Episode Summary:

In this powerful episode, Phil sits down with driving instructor and course creator Kate Monk, the founder of My Learner Driver – an online course designed to help parents of learner drivers become active participants in creating safer, more prepared drivers.

Kate shares her emotional ‘why’ behind the course, following the devastating loss of four young people in her local area. She highlights the untapped potential of parents to model safer driving habits, support structured private practice, and open up life-saving conversations at home.

👤 About Kate Monk:

• ADI based in West Devon
• 10+ years of experience in driver training
• Mum of two, passionate about road safety
• Creator of My Learner Driver, aiming to empower parents

🎯 Key Topics Discussed:

• Why instructors and parents must work together to create safer drivers
• The alarming reality of youth road fatalities – and why "something must change"
• How My Learner Driver helps parents:
• Refresh and upgrade their own driving attitudes
• Learn how to guide private practice safely and effectively
• Build awareness of risks and road behavior before a young person starts driving
• The idea of a "Family Graduated Driving Licence" – a personalised, voluntary contract between parent and teen
• Encouraging parents to develop commentary driving skills and model road scanning techniques
• Long-term plans to expand into school-age resources, creating early awareness
• Challenges Kate faced creating the course – from tech hurdles to battling camera nerves
• The course as a collaborative tool for instructors, not a replacement

🛠️ Instructor Takeaways:

• My Learner Driver can enhance your learners’ private practice experiences
• Support parents to become safer drivers themselves, improving outcomes for pupils
• Use the course to bridge the communication gap between home and lesson
• Consider involving parents in lessons early (including reverse roles!)

🧭 Learn More & Access the Course:

🌐 www.mylearnerdriver.co.uk

💸 Early bird price: £14.75 (75% off while course builds)

🧠 Instructor guide version also coming soon!

• Episode Theme:
• Stepping into the learner’s role to sharpen your instructor skills, and practical tactics for easing driving-related anxiety.
• Why Play Learner?
• Gain fresh perspective on your own training style
• Spot best (and worst) teaching habits to adopt or ditch
• Try something outside your comfort zone—gym theory, workshops, etc.
• On-the-Move vs Pullover Corrections:
• If safe and the student can process, correct as you go
• If they’re distracted or the situation is complex, pull over for focused feedback
• Proactive Support Level:
• Give clear options (“I’ll prompt you for the next three starts…”) instead of “Jump in if I’m wrong”
• Use scales or student-chosen checkpoints to quantify confidence
• Managing Driving Anxiety (3 Pillars):

1. Physical Tension (arms/shoulders) → “Lower your suitcases” relaxation drill
2. Racing Heart → “Smell flowers / blow bubbles” breathing
3. Frozen Feeling → ABC technique (Acknowledge–Build evidence–Calm strategies)

• Quick Wins:
• Reframe “anxiety” as “uncomfortable” for more control
• Use scaling (1 = Zen guru…10 = straightjacket) to track progress
• Offer word banks or flash-cards to help students label feelings
• Takeaway:
• Continual CPD gives you a toolbox of techniques—mix and match them to meet each learner’s needs.

We dig into the DVSA Consolation on changes to the test booking system.

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/improving-car-driving-test-booking-rules/improving-car-driving-test-booking-rules?utm_source=dvsa&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=improving-driving-test-booking-rules&utm_content=adi