Jamie Blake Driving Foundation

HIGH QUALITY TEACHING

As a well established Approved Driving Instructor I am very proud to declare that, following my latest standards check, I received the highest grade possible (A) scoring 96% and this can be verified by accessing the following link; www.gov.uk/find-driving-schools-and-lessons – ADI instructors can choose whether or not to declare their grade on the official government site.

In keeping with every aspect of the Jamie Blake Driving Foundation, the teaching is of the highest quality with a focus on Lesson Planning, Risk Management and specific Teaching and Learning Strategies aimed to deliver the best possible learning experience and outcome for every student. The services I offer can be seen below and, no matter which level of tuition you requireI aspire to achieve excellence in the following areas:

LESSON PLANNING

My students’ learning goals and needs are always identified

Agreed lesson structure is always appropriate for the students’ experience and ability

All practice areas are suitable for the lessons

The lesson plan is adapted when appropriate to help the students towards their learning goals

RISK MANAGEMENT

My students fully understand how the responsibility for risk will be shared

Directions and instructions to my students are clearly given and in good time

I am always aware of the surroundings and the students actions

Any physical intervention is timely and appropriate

Sufficient feedback is given to help the students understand any potential safety critical incidents

2015 Ford Fiesta Sport Limited Edition has Ford’s Intelligent Protection System which uses a range of sophisticated technologies designed to keep the student protected, including ultra-high strength steel safety cage, anti-lock braking system with Emergency Brake Assist and front, side, knee and curtain airbags

My Driving Foundation has further protection for my students with £5 million of Professional Indemnity and £10 million of Public Liability Insurance. I know that offering the highest level of service demands professional and specialist knowledge complete with protection for my students if something unexpected happened

TEACHING AND LEARNING STRATEGIES 

A calm and relaxed atmosphere is maintained throughout the sessions enabling the student to feel completely comfortable during their learning experience 

My teaching and learning style is adapted to suit the individual student’s level of ability

My students are encouraged to analyse problems and take responsibility for their learning

Opportunities and examples are used to clarify learning outcomes

Technical information is given comprehensively, appropriately and accurately

My students are given appropriate and timely feedback

There is detailed response on all students’ queries

We encourage diversity and the appropriate non-discriminatory manner is maintained throughout the sessions

At the end of each session the student is encouraged to reflect on their own performance

The curriculum has innovation and creativity built in and is available as a discussion document in a pre-arranged consultation meeting should you wish (see Measured Performance page)

An example of innovation and creativity at work is my approach to mock tests. As my student approaches their practical driving test they will experience at least three mock tests. These mock sessions are run in exactly the same conditions as the real test. At this stage in the driver learning experience, the issue will not be whether my student can drive to the standard required, but whether or not they can deal with the inevitable pressure of the test occasion.

To help them prepare for their test I always involve other students to be observers in the mock test as part of their development. The benefit to the driver is that they learn to drive on test whilst being watched by people they are unfamiliar with. The benefit to the observers is that they get to see how a driving test is conducted and also get to ‘play’ test examiner. I know that this also creates a community of shared learning with my students. (See photo of Beth Windsor, Freya Larsen, me and Grace Brown having just completed Grace’s mock test.) She passed the real thing the following day at the first attempt. Grace said that these mock tests were a vital part of her training. An interesting community footnote to this particular mock was that my mobile classroom that day had students from Rushcliffe School (Beth) Nottingham High School for Girls (Grace) and Nottingham Trent University’s Brackenhurst College (Freya) all working towards a common goal. 

Another example of creativity and innovation is welcoming the involvement of parents (see testimonial from parent Clare Leonard as just one example) who wish to follow their son or daughter’s progress by accessing their Student Dashboard with the student’s agreement (see Measured Performance page). I’m also very happy to welcome any parent into the car to observe a session of their choice. It could be a mock test. Just so long as the student is in agreement!

I’ve always embraced technology to support my teaching and to enhance the learners’ experiences. There are front and rear-facing cameras fitted in the car and the instant playback facility on my iPad helps analysis and understanding, and accelerates the students’ learning. The curriculum, student information and performance are all held digitally and securely. 

The BlackVue DR750S HD 2 channel front and rear in-car full HD Wi-Fi vehicle recording system is installed in the car to help the students’ learning. 

Constantly updated applications are used to assist the learning process such as this interactive spiral roundabouts app.