Government guidance on vocational lessons and tests

How local restriction tiers affect vocational lessons and tests

The Government has confirmed that vocational lessons and tests can safely restart as normal in areas in tier 1 and 2 when the current national restrictions end on 2 December.

The Government has also confirmed that driving lessons can restart in all tiers when the current national restrictions end on 2 December.

Additional measures in tier 3 areas

Our top priority is to keep you, The Examiners and our staff safe.

To allow us to continue practical testing in tier 3 areas from 3 December anyone who has a practical vocational test booked in a tier 3 area who is exempt from wearing a face covering may have to delay their test until the area moves out of tier 3. We will reschedule tests if we cannot find a volunteer driving examiner to conduct the test without the candidate wearing a face covering.

The only exception to this is for vocational passenger vehicle practical testing that can resume in all areas from 3 December without mandatory face coverings because social distancing can be achieved on tests with existing measures in place.

The DVSA have made some changes to our COVID driving test guidance for driving examiners. They have made these changes to make it clear to you, your pupils and our examiners of what to expect on test. Vehicle ventilation The vehicle must have the windows open throughout the test. Your pupils are advised to wear clothing suitable for the weather. At least 2 windows on opposite sides of the vehicle must be open throughout the test. In bad weather, you do not need to open the windows so far that it makes the inside of the vehicle overly wet. Vehicle cleanliness Because of coronavirus (COVID-19), we must clean the inside of the vehicle before your test. This means:

tidying any unnecessary items away from the dashboard, footwells, door pockets, cup holders and seats.
wiping down the dashboard and vehicle controls and touchpoints such as door handles and seat belt controls

The examiner will do an additional clean of some surfaces. Completing insurance and residency declaration Your pupils will also be able to fill out an insurance and residency declaration and have their licence checked inside the vehicle in bad weather.