Your success matters to us!
"As an owner operated, independent business we are extremely focused on the quality and reputation of our driving school, and we pride ourselves in providing the very best for all our students, regardless of the extra 'out of lesson' costs that we often incur - from your very first lesson, we are invested in your success, and go above and beyond to ensure you are reaching the goals we have set." - Mike Allsopp ADI
Cost Effective Lessons
At number8driving, we understand that cost is an important consideration for all students. Please... don't just focus on cost per lesson. The total cost to pass your driving test can often be much lower with higher quality coaching as you will likely require fewer lessons. That's why we strive to provide competitive pricing for our high quality driving lessons, and all the extra work we do out of lessons (see 'What we Offer' below), and the extra resources feedback and and support I provide, that most other instructors don't. You will have access to my student area on this site, plus use of our app that allows you to see your progress, view lesson summaries, recieve all my extensive theory notes, check your upcoming lessons and book and pay for lessons with ApplePay, GooglePay or with your debit or credit card.
"I believe that investing in high quality instruction, supported by a comfortable, easy to drive, modern car, the latest technology and proven modern teaching methods, is ultimately the best choice for my students, and I am committed to helping you achieve your driving goals safely, successfully and swiftly." - Mike Allsopp ADI
If you are still looking at price per hour, I'm not for you. However, I do know that I am good at what I do, easy to get along with and I will help you to become a safe, confident driver sooner than many other instructors. I will also teach you to drive economically - therefore kinder to the environment, using less fuel, saving you even more money - for years to come.
Regardless of who you choose to coach you, I genuinely hope you succeed, but if you do struggle, and want to try a different way, get in touch - you know where to find me!
If you do choose me... great choice! I can't wait to meet you, and get you on the road with number8driving!
Let's go for it!
Cost Effective Lessons
At number8driving, we understand that cost is an important consideration for all my students. Please... don't just focus on cost per lesson. The total cost to pass your test can often be much lower with higher quality coaching as you will likely require fewer lessons. That's why we strive to provide competitive pricing for our high quality driving lessons, and all the extra work we do out of lessons (see 'What we Offer' below), and the extra resources feedback and and support I provide, that most other instructors don't. You will have access to my student area on this site, plus use of our app that allows you to see your progress, view lesson summaries, recieve all my extensive theory notes, check your upcoming lessons and book and pay for lessons with ApplePay, GooglePay or with your debit or credit card.
"I believe that investing in high quality instruction, supported by a comfortable, easy to drive, modern car, the latest technology and proven modern teaching methods, is ultimately the best choice for my students, and I am committed to helping you achieve your driving goals safely, successfully and swiftly."
If you are still looking at price per hour, I'm not for you. However, I do know that I am good at what I do, easy to get along with and I will help you to become a safe, confident driver sooner than many other instructors. I will also teach you to drive economically - therefore kinder to the environment, using less fuel, saving you even more money - for years to come.
Regardless of who you choose to coach you, I genuinely hope you succeed, but if you do struggle, and want to try a different way, get in touch - you know where to find me!
If you do choose me... great choice! I can't wait to meet you, and get you on the road with number8driving!
Let's go for it!
Therapeutic, Quality Teaching
"At number8driving, I know that our therapeutic style of quality coaching and instruction is essential to ensuring the safety, confidence and success of our students. We use the best resources to give you outstanding results." - Mike Allsopp ADI
My official teaching qualifications from the official UK Government Department for driving - the Driving and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) - alongside my additional TQUK qualifications in Mental Health, Diversity and Counselling combine to ensure that I am full licensed to teach all students, including those with some barriers to learning.
My reputation, recommendations, easy to drive modern car, teamed with patient, innovative student centred instruction make me a great choice to help you achieve the rewarding skill of safe driving that will last you a lifetime and give you an independence you will cherish forever.
You can trust and rely on me!
.....if I say I will do something, it gets done!
I always turn up, and on time
.....I won't let you down
I provide supportive coaching
.....all week, not just during our lesson time
I am patient and supportive
.....we learn from mistakes, positivity is key
You will learn to manage stress
.....and strategies to manage multi-tasking
I won't give up on you!
.....we work together to achieve your goal
I take your success very seriously, and always go 'above and beyond' to ensure you become a safe, confident driver, for life. "I am so proud of every student, especially when you give me the privilege of helping you take this big step in life, and I appreciate the trust you place in me." - Mike Allsopp ADI
Learn more about me, what makes my driving school different, and what I offer my students, by exploring my website, visiting my socials and reading my reviews.
Find out more about the types of lessons I offer, and how my high quality tuition is great value.
Get in touch today and find out my availability!
Together, we can do this!
"How much will it cost?"
"How long will it take?"
Two very good and extremely popular questions, especially from parents of young adults, however... before we answer, these are not necessarily the most important considerations when learning to drive.
Obviously, you'll want to have a guide from a financial point of view as to how much the necessary lessons are for budgeting, and then there may be a time constraint due to an offer of a job, or a University starting date, that could give you a reason to question the length of time. But in reality, that is not our biggest concern. Our #1 concern is...
ROAD SAFETY! YOUR SAFETY! YOUR CHILD'S SAFETY!
We are road safety experts! It's our job!
As a government approved driving instructors (ADI) we take our responsibility and role seriously, and we are passionate about the safety of you or your loved ones. We have undergone hundreds of hours of training to become qualified to look after our students. We sometimes get asked why do you teach a turn in the road, or reverse around a corner, or even go to areas that aren't in the test? The answer is simple, AT SOME STAGE IN THEIR DRIVING LIFE, they WILL do some, or ALL of these things. Why would we only teach a percentage of what's due to come in their driving life?
"We want to prepare ALL our pupils to have as many different experiences as they can, so that they are prepared to deal with them once they gain a full licence and have no one sat next to them to get advice from - in effect continuing their training, by themselves, using self-evaluation." - Mike Allsopp ADI
With a FIFTH of all UK road fatalities being drivers in the age category of 17-24, would you not want your child fully prepared? If you are all about the cheapest and quickest path to get your child on the roads, then we are NOT your preferred driving instructor, as we only provide high quality tuition so that you are as ready, as you can be, to drive on your own - not a quick, cheap path solely aimed at just passing the driving test.
"Learning to drive is THE most complex multi-tasking skill you will EVER learn - lets give it the respect it deserves, and invest in quality training."
We never want to receive that message from a parent saying their child was involved in collision because they didn't have enough road experience. We will never hold a student up who is ready for their driving test, but also we will never allow a student to take their test if they are not at a standard that enables them to drive alone, when a student is told they are not ready, then we mean it! - we follow the Ready To Pass? scheme run by DVSA, and are members of and support a number of road safety charities and organisations.
"You've protected your child right up until they leave school, now let us, as Driving Instructors, do our job and ensure they are protected whilst out on the roads, having gained enough experience and knowledge to keep themselves safe." - Mike Allsopp ADI
How much will it cost?
The answer is... it depends how many lessons it takes to achieve the standard that makes you ready to pass. We acknowledge from our first lesson that everyone learns through differently methods at different speeds, some students struggle with clutch control, some with steering, some with the responsibility of being in charge of a machine that can injure, or even kill, humans or animals. Others fly through the subjects and skills but later struggle with the area of anticipation or judgement of external factors.
The facts are (according to Department for Transport) that the average number of hours of tuition taken is...
Average number of hours of tuition: '45 hours with a professional instructor, PLUS at least an additional 22 hours of independent practice.'
"Some pupils need more time than this, some need less, all that matters is that you take the test when you are genuinely ready to pass, and can remain safe on the road when by yourself." - Mike Allsopp ADI
There are several things that you can do to reduce the number of lessons you take.
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Pass your Theory Test - as soon as possible, theory supports driving and driving expands your theory knowledge - the theory test is not enough to understand everything that you need to know.
(beginning your theory learning before you start driving lessons is a great advantage!)
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Take Responsibility for your own Learning - Download, Read and understand DVSA publications;
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Know Your Traffic Signs
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The Highway Code
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Driving: The Essential Skills.
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Put the work in - Take lessons seriously, read my lesson summaries and subject notes that I send after each lesson, practice using the visualisation techniques that we learn, and consider driving decisions when you can (such as when you are a passenger).
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Private Practice - As soon as we tell you that you are ready for private practice, then please take that opportunity to polish up your skills. If you are fortunate enough to have a car available at home that is insured for you to drive and practice in, then at least match our driving time every week - we recommend 2-4 hours a week including parking practice, and driving locally - even if only running errands with parents or friends - it makes a HUGE difference to your driving experience which speeds up progress, saving you, or parents, money. We want to get you passed as soon as you are ready, practice and time from friends or family will significantly help!
(Please note: You can only practise in a car that is insured for you to drive, and with someone who is over 21 years of age AND the holder of valid full driving licence for at least 3 years. Often the cost of a months insurance is cheaper than a lesson so its money well spent - just time and support from a parent or friend is all you need.)
How long will it take?
The answer is... how much time do you have and are you limited to a weekly or monthly budget. We can offer a minimum of one lesson a week, but two, three or more lessons a week are sometimes available. At certain times of year we can offer intense courses, however we believe that these should last at least 4-6 weeks, to ensure that the skills learnt have become habits - intense courses may be dependant upon test date availability.
and normally advertised via our facebook page.
Intense courses can be useful for some students, but just ask yourself 'Who would you prefer to drive you? - someone who learnt in a week or two, or someone who has taken the skill and knowledge in over a longer period with a lot more experience?' I know who I would choose, that's why we don't offer short and very intense courses.
With one lesson a week, we expect most candidates to be ready for test after around 20 weeks = 5 months, which also happens to be the waiting time from Theory Test Pass to Practical Test date availability - showing the importance of getting on with theory test work, before you start driving.
If we agree that you are ready sooner than 20 lessons, then happy days! And if it takes longer, then that's all good, but be assured we have no interest in delaying you taking your test (we love test days and are keen to get you passed as soon as we can, so we can start helping another student on our waiting list), remember - you are test ready when we BOTH agree together, and you are prepared for your test.
Don't wait any longer, get in touch and join our waiting list now
What do we offer, and...
...how much do we charge?
Before we tell you 'how much we charge', we prefer to first remind you of what we offer, as we are different to many other schools and instructors....
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WE HAVE OUR OWN APP
BOOK & PAY FOR LESSONS - SEE LESSON GAPS - READ YOUR LESSON SUMMARIES - SEE YOUR PROGRESS - SEND AND RECEIVE MESSAGES WITH YOUR INSTRUCTOR - GET LESSON REMINDERS
Our pupils (and their parents) LOVE our app! It's an amazing tool that keeps everyone totally in the loop with what we have done each lesson, backed up with notes on what we achieve, discussed, learnt theory notes, and what we will look at next time and what you can focus on during the coming week.
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OPTIONAL INDUCTION CHAT
After we book you in for your first lesson, we can start with an optional informal induction chat or text conversation (that's not charged for and not deducted from the time in your first lesson). If you don't need or want one, no problem! But if you do, I am happy to help. We can do this via phone, live chat on 'whats app' or in the car, at your home. This helps us 'break the ice' and understand each others expectations, goals etc. It's your chance to ask me any questions or talk about any worries or needs you may have, tell me your requirements, or anything else that will help me, help you, succeed.
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BESPOKE LESSON PLANS
After our induction chat we can plan out your bespoke lesson plan, that is adapted to your needs, expectations, and considers the way you want to learn, before we get in the car again to enjoy our first lesson together. We will continue to have honest feedback between each other during and after each lesson, and we will identify your strengths and weaknesses together, and agree whether to move on to a new topic, or keep practising until you have the confidence to move on.
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WE HELP MANAGE LESSONS & TESTS
Subject to your budget, we will agree how often you want your lessons, giving you enough time to reflect between each lesson. When we both agree you are ready for your test, we will need to have a slightly more intense period of lessons and a couple of relaxed and then more serious mock tests to make sure you are prepared, ready to pass, and enjoy a lifetime of safe driving.
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PERSONAL LESSON SUMMARIES & FEEDBACK
After every lesson we take the time to personally write your lesson summary, with feedback on success, what we are planning next time and some notes on key skills learnt.
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PROGRESS REPORT AFTER EACH LESSON
After each lesson we update your progress on our app, showing where you are on your journey and how far you have come so far.
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OUR THEORY NOTES
We have written our own notes on the key skills in over 100 subject areas. These notes reiterate much of what we have covered in the lesson and offer you the chance to review this learning resource in your own time.
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WE SUPPORT YOU WITH PRIVATE PRACTICE
When you are ready, we can help with practice routes, themes etc. We are happy to discuss your needs with parents, friends or relatives who are supporting you with your learning. With private practice your progress will accelerate (resulting in fewer lessons, less money spent) and we can concentrate our lessons together on new skills that can be practiced and developed in between lessons.
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APP BASED LESSON MANAGEMENT & PAYMENTS
Keep in touch and see your progress via your own phone app - You will have unlimited use of our app which includes your lesson bookings, history, lesson theme summaries and performance, plus processing of your lesson pre-payments.
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ONLINE SUPPORT
We provide extra support online via a whatsapp / facebook group and the student area of this website called Number 8+ club which includes access to members pages on this website and a facebook group with loads of helpful learning resources for your theory and practical tests, tell me /show me test guides, suggested practice routines, plus access to all my skill and lesson theme notes, if that's the way you want and like to learn.
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EXCLUSIVE YOUTUBE TEST ROUTES
We create bespoke test route videos for Colwick Driving Test Centre (our preferred test centre) each time we, via our pupils, experience new test routes so you can see where you may go on your test. Real test routes, with ADI comments, along with notes on tricky elements - invaluable knowledge making sure you are prepared for the driving test.
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SUPPORT ALL WEEK
We are not your instructors just for your 2 hours a week. We are here to support you in any way you need, help with practice, theory work, plus any questions (even to settle friendly arguments with friends) - we are just a text message away.
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FIXED PRICES FOR YOUR FIRST 6 MONTHS
Our charge does occasionally increase throughout the year, BUT whatever my charge is when you sign up with me, the cost to you WILL NOT INCREASE during the 6 months following your first lesson. Our 6 month fixed price promise really helps my students (and parents) budget, especially important in these turbulent times of inflation and the cost of living. This is regardless of our significant car, specialist insurance, fuel, repair, servicing and teaching material price increases.
So, you now know... We offer a lot more than the average instructors, we are approachable and understand and have experienced how anxiety can affect all pupils (some more than others, but everyone will have some form of anxiety during their journey)
All lessons are 2 hours
Having two hours of tuition means we have plenty of time for extra driving time, two way feedback and analysis (including demonstrations, illustrations and sometimes video reviews of elements we learn together), plus I plan each and every lesson specifically for you based upon previous lessons, and your feedback.
£45 per hour on Weekdays
£50 per hour at Weekends
(Weekend lessons are very popular with a longer waiting list)
"We always have a waiting list, please get in touch as soon as possible." - Mike Allsopp ADI
Pay in Advance - Your lessons must always be paid for in advance. Therefore, your first payment will be for two lessons. Before each subsequent lesson you need to pay for the next one - you (or your parent) can do this through our app which is convenient and secure, and will be provided to you before our optional induction chat. See our Terms and Conditions page to see all our policies.
You won't find that many instructors offer all of this, we are not the cheapest, or the most expensive, but we do offer outstanding results. All we offer involves a lot of extra work outside of lessons, but we do, as it helps you progress quickly, especially if you invest time outside of your lessons. It is especially useful to start independent learning with friends or family, we can help support you in this process, and again we will give you extra help when you come closer to your test ensuring you know exactly what will happen with our mock tests. We always strive to offer the very best standard of high quality tuition.
Our goal is to get you driving safely, for life, as soon as you are ready, and as cost effectively as possible.