This is a female driving school, but  as such, please do not assume that  the car will be festooned in pink (its actually plain blue) or  that I sound like Clare Grogan.   Nor will I  assume, that if you are also female, you will necessarily have any difficulty understanding such abstract ideas  as  RPMs, gear ratios, separation distances and such.

Although a ' female' driving school, I teach both men and women.  The 'female' bit refers to me!  It is just stated  in order to  give you the choice in case you had decided you would prefer to be taught by a women, as female instructors are still a minority.  Why 'Alpha'?  - well, it's supposed to be a little fun wordplay on 'alpha female', as, basically, I am "IT" in the little canine world my two beautiful rescue dogs inhabit! 

I am a fully qualified driving instructor - please remember that when selecting your driving school, not all instructors are fully qualified and as long as they hold a trainee licence it is  legal for them to charge for instruction.  My original training came from a combination of: former DSA examiner;  former  police driver trainer and IAM examiner; and a current grade 6 (the best) ADI.   Although I can only ever hope to reach their excellent training and driving standards, the knowledge and experience passed on to me has nonetheless,  given me the basis to recommend myself highly from the wide range of experience and knowledge they passed to me.    I have a very high pass rate and from April 20009 will have been teaching for four years.  This is a 'sole trader' business, meaning there is just me ("chief cook & bottle washer" or "chief instructor and car washer" if you like).  Therefore, you will not be passed on to anyone else should I fall ill or something.  However,  if I had to stop teaching for a longer period than, say, your average tummy bug lasts, I would recommend for you one of several other local instructors whom I know personally and trust professionally.

When studying for your theory test, part of this is knowing how to react in an emergency.  Although I may ask the odd question to test you, I will not waste time teaching things you will shortly know, or already have proved you know, through passing the theory test.  For the practical test, you also have to show the examiner that you know some minimum safety requirements such as correct air pressure in the  tyres, how to check engine oil levels, brake fluid, screen wash and power steering fluid levels too.   This is the 'show me/tell me' part of the test.  Details of possible questions and their answers are at the end of the 'practical' page or are available from the DSA website for you to download as a pdf file.  You are also expected to have and awareness of what 'eco-friendly' driving entails.

You will be taught when to get a move on up to the speed limit  as well as when that is inappropriate, as we do not wish to be an an annoyance to other road users (which creates a hazard in itself).  However, as you will not be able to do this straight away, on your first few lessons we will be on quiet back roads where you can get used to making proper progress without feeling pressured to drive faster than you are capable of. 

I am a considerate and patient person and I will do my utmost to make your path to becoming a full licence holder enjoyable and swift.