1st Driving School Avis 

I cannot recommend Julian Barker from 1st Driving School enough! I reached out to him at the absolute last minute—just one week before my driving test—and only managed to fit in two hours of lessons. Thanks to Julian's incredible guidance, I passed with zero minors!

What makes him stand out is how clearly and simply he explains everything; his instructions are so easy to understand and put into practice right away. If you are looking for an instructor who delivers results under pressure, Julian is the one. I would wholeheartedly recommend him to anyone! 10/10 service!

My driving instructor was Usman Qadir. I would highly recommend him as he is a highly knowledgeable and patient driving instructor. He clearly explained major and minor faults along with any misconceptions I had going into the test. After taking a few refresher lessons with him where he introduced the concept of "commentary driving", I passed with only 4 minor faults.

I had an excellent experience learning with my driving instructor, Zabina. From the very beginning, she took the time to understand my strengths, weaknesses, and the areas I found most challenging. She tailored each lesson to my needs and explained everything clearly, helping me correct my mistakes and become a much more confident and safer driver.
Every two-hour lesson was used to its full potential. She kept me behind the wheel throughout, took me on the actual test routes, and made sure I gained plenty of experience on difficult roundabouts, busy roads, and other challenging situations. We also completed several mock driving tests that were even more demanding than the real test, which prepared me exceptionally well.
On my test day, Zabina was incredibly reassuring and confident in my ability, which helped calm my nerves and allowed me to drive at my best. I'm delighted to say that I passed my driving test today with just two minor faults, and I truly believe her excellent teaching and encouragement made that possible.

took driving lesson for a year with another driving instructor not in this company and didn’t learn much or gain much confidence, switched to this company and within a few months already learnt so much more than i did in a year with other instructor, gained confidence and passed test first time within a few months and being with this company. very good.

I had Julian as my instructor, he was great and really helped me prepare for the test and I passed first time!

I had an amazing experience learning to drive with Zabeena, she was always patient and calm with me. And her teaching me allowed me to be confident behind the wheel. Highly recommend her to anyone looking for a reliable and encouraging driving instructor! The best instructor ever!!

I honestly can’t thank Zabina enough for everything she has done to help me pass my driving test. From the very first lesson, she believed in me even when I doubted myself, and that made all the difference. She didn’t just teach me how to drive, she taught me how to stay calm, be confident, and trust in my abilities. Her patience, kindness, and constant encouragement turned what felt like an impossible journey into something I could truly be proud of. I’ll never forget the support she has given me, and every time I get behind the wheel, I’ll carry those lessons with me. I’m so grateful to have had her as my instructor, thank you for helping me achieve this milestone.

I cannot recommend Julian enough. He is extremely patient, understanding and an excellent teacher. After having multiple instructors in the past, Julian was the first person to make me feel confident and capable of driving. I passed my test first time thanks to him. Thank you!

Sandor was a top tier instructor, he helped me pass first time . Very knowledgeable and just an overall good teacher and a good person. It only took me 2 months to pass!

Kev was the absolute best instructor! I couldn’t have wished for a better experience. He was really calm throughout my time learning how to drive and he made me feel so comfortable from day one. Just an absolute top guy. Friendly, funny, kind. Thank you Kev!!!

Avoid this driving school. If I could give zero stars, I would. I experienced multiple issues, including being charged repeatedly for alleged late cancellations, sometimes with threats that I wouldn’t be allowed to book further lessons. Additionally, my instructor became unresponsive and provided false information about being “off the road.” The management demonstrated extremely poor professionalism and communication throughout, making the whole experience stressful and frustrating. I would not recommend this school to anyone.

Worst driving school. The instructors I had from the Hucknall area are unreliable and untrustworthy who will send you a message after having many lessons with them saying….they can no longer book anymore lessons as they are no longer available and when you try to contact the school for another driver they say they don’t have anyone available in the area! I would definitely avoid here. Replied….so I need to pay £80 a week to keep one of your instructors happy lol WOW! Money grabbers so bare this in mind people! I’d go with Elevate’s if your from Hucknall/Nottingham.

I would highly recommend Nas as a driving instructor. He’s very knowledgeable, inspiring and has a good heart. Nas has taught me so many skills about driving and he goes above and beyond to ensure that I pass first try and I did! He has made me enjoy driving more and more every lesson and he has definitely made me a confident and a safe driver. I cannot thank him enough for the time and effort he has put into this journey.

Highly recommend David Berry, he was patient and calm and always made lessons fun! Accommodated my schedule and booked lessons as and when needed! Helped me calm my nerves and pass my driving test!
Thanks for everything!

I would like to say a big thank you to Libby John who is currently working in Cardiff. She was so professional and really understanding and at such short notice Libby went out of her way to help. I was with another driving instructor from Cardiff who had become ill so couldn't carry on with my lessons. Libby was available for the coming weeks as I had already had a test booked for June. Last Thursday I passed with just 5 minor and without Libby John I couldn't have done it. Thank you so much Libby for everything you have done on such a short space of time. She is brilliant driver instructor and will be highly recommended by myself in the future. Take care Libby and all the best for the future 👍. For some reason above its got my mother's name 🤷just to say that its from MARK SPRAGG!

I would give a 5-star rating to Julian Barker, my driving instructor, who has been instrumental in helping me manage my nerves and overcome my anxiety about driving. I passed my test on the first attempt in an automatic car, which I attribute in large part to his guidance.

The reason I've given the driving school a 4-star rating is due to my initial experience with a previous instructor. During my first lesson, I felt overwhelmed, and subsequent lessons were cancelled with little notice, which was frustrating. I hope the school could improve its process for matching learners with instructors who are understanding and supportive, like Julian.

Excellent experience learning to drive with 1st driving school and especially with Julian Barker as my instructor. He was very calm and patient with me learning to drive for the first time. Very professional and not strict but ensuring to be stern if performing a dangerous manoeuvre.
Took 55 hours to learn from scratch and passed on my first attempt with only two minor faults so if your looking at 1st driving school try to nab Julian!

Mo was a wonderful and very supportive teacher. The lessons specifically catered to areas I had to work on until every aspect was ironed out. The times for lessons were very flexible and learning to drive with Mo’s help was an overall lovely experience!

As an Approved Driving Instructor, 1st Driving School have been a very good school to be a part of. I have a steady supply of students and compared to a lot of other schools you are not bound by a long term contract - just a 4 week notice period to leave the school so you never feel tied down. The owner Claire is always available for queries or concerns and works with you to resolve any issues you might have. I'd highly recommend 1st Driving School to any ADI.

Reliable support and supply of pupil. I didn't have to think twice when I needed a local franchise to join back after few years being independent.