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Driving tuition, bookings, payments and use of school vehicles

Important before booking
Please contact Ashford Driving Academy before making an online payment if you are unsure about lesson availability, suitability or booking arrangements. Gift vouchers are valid for 6 months from the date of purchase and may be extended if requested before they expire. We require at least 72 hours notice to cancel a pre-booked lesson without charge, subject to the terms below.

1. Definitions

- "Business" means any business, trade, craft or profession carried on by you or any other person or organisation.

- "Consumer" means an individual acting for purposes wholly or mainly outside their trade, business, craft or profession.

- "DVSA" means the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency.

- "Instructor", "I", "Me" or "My" means the DVSA-registered driving instructor providing your tuition through Ashford Driving Academy.

- "Price List" means the current prices for driving tuition and related services, available from Ashford Driving Academy or via the website.

- "Student", "You" or "Your" means the individual receiving driving instruction.

- "Parent / Guardian" means a person with legal responsibility for a Student who is under 18.

- "Regulations" means the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013, as amended.

- References to these Terms & Conditions include any amendments made from time to time. Headings are for convenience only. Words in the singular include the plural and vice versa.

2. Driving Instructor

1. The Instructor is responsible for providing driving tuition in accordance with these Terms & Conditions.

2. The Instructor will be appropriately registered with the DVSA and will display the relevant current registration certificate in any vehicle used for paid tuition where required.

3. Driving Lessons - Booking, Cancellation & Delays

1. Lessons are available by pre-booked appointment only. The Student and Instructor must agree the date, time, meeting location and duration of each lesson.

2. A request to book a lesson is an offer. A booking becomes confirmed only when the Instructor accepts it.

3. Where two or more lessons are booked together, the booking applies to all lessons accepted by the Instructor.

4. Regular lesson slots cannot be guaranteed unless a specific lesson has been accepted and entered in the diary. The Instructor will use reasonable endeavours to offer regular lessons where possible.

5. If you expect to be late, you must contact the Instructor. If you are more than 15 minutes late, or are not ready to begin within 15 minutes of the agreed start time, the Instructor may treat the lesson as cancelled by you without notice.

6. You may cancel or rearrange a lesson without charge by giving at least 72 hours notice. Any payment made in advance for that lesson will be credited, rearranged or refunded as appropriate.

7. Where less than 72 hours notice is given, the Instructor may charge up to 100% of the lesson fee to cover the financial loss caused by the late cancellation.

8. If a late cancellation is caused by exceptional circumstances such as serious illness, accident or bereavement, the Instructor may waive the charge at their discretion.

9. The Instructor may cancel or rearrange a lesson where necessary, including because of illness, vehicle problems, pre-booked driving tests, holidays, severe or immovable traffic, or other circumstances beyond reasonable control. Any advance payment for a lesson cancelled by the Instructor will be credited, rearranged or refunded.

10. If the Instructor believes that you are not fit to drive safely because of alcohol, drugs, medication, illness or another medical condition, the lesson may be cancelled. A charge may be made where it is reasonable to do so.

11. The Instructor will use reasonable endeavours to start lessons on time. If a delay is 30 minutes or more, you may cancel without charge. If you continue with the lesson, the lost time will be added to that lesson, a future lesson, or refunded proportionately where appropriate.

12. Where a contract is made away from the Instructor's premises or at a distance, statutory cancellation rights may apply. Where you expressly request tuition to begin during a statutory cancellation period, you must pay for any tuition already supplied if you later cancel.

4. Lesson Location & Length

1. The meeting and finishing location will be agreed when the lesson is booked. Where a different area is needed for road safety or suitable training, travel time to that area may form part of the lesson.

2. The minimum lesson length is 1 hour. Longer lessons may be agreed in 30-minute increments or in the standard lesson durations offered by Ashford Driving Academy.

5. Fees & Payment

1. You must pay the current fee for all booked lessons. Current prices are available from Ashford Driving Academy.

2. Prices may change from time to time. A price change will not normally affect a lesson that has already been accepted and paid for in advance.

3. Unless otherwise agreed, lesson fees are payable in advance by an accepted payment method. A receipt can be provided on request.

4. For block bookings of 5 hours or more, payments may be non-refundable once the booking has been entered into the diary and the 14-day statutory cancellation period has passed, particularly where the Student fails to start the booked course. Date changes remain subject to the Instructor's agreement and availability.

5. Intensive course bookings are subject to the same statutory cancellation rights. After the applicable cancellation period has passed, refunds are not guaranteed, although rescheduling may be agreed at the Instructor's discretion.

6. Instructor Obligations

1. Use reasonable endeavours to provide tuition at the agreed times.

2. Use reasonable endeavours to train you to a high standard while recognising that the Student remains responsible for their own actions and decisions.

3. Act professionally and courteously towards you and other road users.

4. Act in accordance with the current DVSA Approved Driving Instructor (ADI) Code of Practice.

5. Act in accordance with applicable law.

7. Student Obligations

1. You confirm that you are receiving tuition as a consumer for personal use.

2. You must hold a valid UK driving licence, provisional or full, appropriate to the tuition being provided.

3. You must be able to provide your driving licence details when reasonably requested and comply with any licence-check requirements before tuition begins.

4. If you have been disqualified from driving and are training for a retest, you must be legally entitled to receive tuition and provide evidence if requested.

5. You must be able to read a vehicle number plate from the legally required distance.

6. You must wear any prescribed glasses or contact lenses required for driving.

7. You must tell the Instructor about any medical condition or prescribed medication that may affect your ability to drive safely.

8. Failure to meet these requirements may result in a lesson being cancelled. Depending on the circumstances, the lesson fee may still be payable.

8. Vehicles & Insurance

1. Any tuition vehicle provided by the Instructor will be roadworthy, taxed where required, have a valid MOT where applicable, be suitably insured for driving instruction and be fitted with dual controls.

2. Use of the Student's own vehicle is subject to the Instructor's agreement. You may be required to provide evidence that the vehicle is roadworthy, taxed, has a valid MOT where applicable and is suitably insured for driving instruction and/or the practical test.

9. Driving Tests

1. The Instructor will discuss test readiness with you and will tell you when they consider you ready to take a practical driving test.

2. You are responsible for booking your theory and practical tests and for checking all details on the DVSA confirmation.

3. Before booking a practical test that requires use of the Instructor's vehicle, you must check availability with the Instructor and obtain agreement that you are ready to use the vehicle for test.

4. You must give the Instructor the date, time and test centre details as soon as possible and, where possible, at least 10 days before the test.

5. You are responsible for taking all required documents to the test. Missing documentation may result in the DVSA cancelling the test and the test fee being lost.

6. Use of the Instructor's vehicle for a test is at the Instructor's discretion and depends on the Student being test ready and the vehicle being suitable and available.

7. If a vehicle that had been agreed for test breaks down or becomes unavailable, the Instructor will use reasonable endeavours to arrange an alternative but cannot guarantee that one will be available or that replacement test fees will be paid.

8. If the DVSA cancels your test with insufficient time for you to give the required lesson cancellation notice, the Instructor's time and/or vehicle fee may still be payable. You may be able to claim eligible out-of-pocket expenses from the DVSA in accordance with its rules.

9. If, in the Instructor's professional opinion, you do not make the expected progress or are not safe and test ready, the Instructor may refuse use of the school vehicle for the practical test. The Instructor is not responsible for test fees lost as a result.

Practical test vehicle/time fees
Ashford or Folkestone: £150. Tests before 10:00am may attract an additional £40 surcharge. Canterbury: £170. Tests before 10:00am may attract an additional £50 surcharge. Test fees are subject to change and the current Price List will apply at the time arrangements are agreed.

10. Cancellation & Termination of Tuition

1. The Instructor may terminate tuition if your conduct, progress or commitment consistently falls below reasonable standards, or where continuing tuition would be unsafe or inappropriate.

2. You may end tuition at any time, subject to the cancellation and payment terms in Clause 3 and Clause 5.

3. Where tuition ends, any refund or credit for unused lessons will be dealt with in accordance with these Terms & Conditions and your statutory rights.

4. Internal or external dash cameras may be used for safety, evidence and teaching purposes. Any use of identifiable video or audio content for social media, YouTube or promotional purposes will require separate agreement or consent where required.

11. Liability

1. The Instructor is responsible for foreseeable loss or damage caused by a breach of these Terms & Conditions or by negligence. Loss or damage is foreseeable where it is an obvious consequence or was contemplated when the contract was made.

2. Tuition is provided for personal and private use. The Instructor is not responsible for business losses such as loss of profit, loss of business, interruption to business or loss of business opportunity.

3. Nothing in these Terms & Conditions excludes or limits liability where it would be unlawful to do so, including liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation.

4. Nothing in these Terms & Conditions is intended to reduce any rights you have under applicable consumer protection law.

12. Changes to These Terms

1. These Terms & Conditions may be changed from time to time. Reasonable efforts will be made to tell you about material changes that affect existing bookings or tuition.

13. Personal Information & Data Protection

1. Personal information will be collected, used, stored and retained in accordance with applicable UK data protection law, including the UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018, as amended. Further information should be set out in Ashford Driving Academy's Privacy Notice.

14. Consumer Information

1. Where consumer law requires information to be provided before a contract is made, that information will be provided in these Terms & Conditions, during the booking process, in the Price List, or by another appropriate method before the booking is accepted.

15. Information Forming Part of the Contract

1. Information given to you about the tuition or services which you reasonably rely on when deciding to book may form part of the contract where required by law.

16. Complaints

1. Feedback is welcome. If you are unhappy with any aspect of the tuition or service, please raise the matter with the Instructor or Ashford Driving Academy as soon as possible so that the issue can be considered and, where possible, resolved.

17. No Waiver

1. A failure or delay by either party in exercising a right under these Terms & Conditions does not mean that the right has been waived. A waiver of one breach does not waive any later breach.

18. Severance

1. If any provision of these Terms & Conditions is found by a competent authority to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will continue in force so far as legally possible.

19. Law & Jurisdiction

1. These Terms & Conditions, the contract for tuition and the relationship between you and the Instructor are governed by the laws of England and Wales. Nothing in this clause affects any rights you may have as a consumer to bring proceedings in another part of the United Kingdom where applicable.

Practical Test Availability - Important

A practical test date and time cannot be guaranteed unless it has been agreed with the Instructor in advance. The Instructor may need to change or cancel agreed arrangements because of unforeseen circumstances. The Instructor is not obliged to provide a vehicle for test if, in their professional opinion, the Student is not safe and fully test ready.

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Student Acknowledgement

By booking and receiving tuition, the Student confirms that they have been given the opportunity to read these Terms & Conditions and ask questions about them. Also have the option to review them  soon as they opened the total drive app. Where the Student is under 18, a Parent or Guardian should also be given access to these Terms & Conditions.

Cleaned working draft - 14 August 2026

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