Was any verbal or physical intervention by the trainer timely and appropriate?

Your overall approach should be client-centred, do remember that there is a fine balance between giving enough input and giving too much.

When stationary it would be expected that inputs and interventions would take the form of a dialogue with your pupil. In the moving-car environment you remaining silent and signalling your confidence in your pupil, through your body language, is just as much a coaching input as asking a stream of questions. If we are going to use Q&A it is vital that we don’t over complicate things or that we are asking questions without any meaningful response from the learner. Make your questions count.

Clearly the most important ‘interventions’ are those that manage risk in a moving car. The examiner would expect you to point out to your pupil situations in which a risk or hazard might arise. However direct intervention by yourself to prevent a situation escalating, may be needed. This criterion is primarily about your response in those situations.

Indications that all the elements of competence are in place could include:

• intervening in a way that actively supports your pupil’s learning process and safety during the session.
• allowing your pupil to deal with situations appropriately
• taking control of a situation where your pupil is clearly out of their depth

Indications of lack of competence include:

• ignoring a developing situation and leaving your pupil to flounder
• taking control of a situation your pupil is clearly dealing with appropriately
• constantly intervening when unnecessary
• intervening inappropriately and creating distractions
• undermining your pupil’s confidence
• reinforcing yourself as the person who is in sole control of the lesson

Linked inextricably to the previous section (was the trainer aware) we need to try our best to prevent safety critical events from happening, but if this is not possible then we need to be drawing the learners attention to it at the earliest opportunity. So if you have seen it, then say it at the same time, this can serve as a reminder both to you and to the learner that this will be the topic of conversation once we find somewhere appropriate to discuss it. My preference would be at the side of the road, but if the pupil can manage it then it might be done on the move.

For example if you prevented it, you have seen it, said it and sorted it, leaving only the sussing of the issue to do (was sufficient feedback given) and then plan what will happen next (lesson plan adapted)

If you are raising it after the event, you have seen it and said it, leaving the sussing and sorting of the issue left to do. No matter where in the cycle of see it, say it, suss it and sort it cycle you enter (determined by if it is prevented or raised after the event) you must complete all four elements. Then agree that this will be our new goal and plan accordingly.

If we have a nice short repetitive route then it won’t be long till the next review point. If you notice anything you must see it and say it at the same time. Then depending on whether you prevented it or are dealing with it after the event will change the conversation.