Pass Plus courses in Burgess Hill, Haywards Heath and surrounding areas

Richard is a DVSA registered Pass Plus instructor

Develop your skills, experience and confidence after passing your driving test

Passing your driving test is a major achievement, but it is also the beginning of your development as an independent driver.

I provide Pass Plus courses for newly qualified drivers across Mid Sussex (Burgess Hill, Haywards Heath and surrounding areas) and Brighton & Hove, helping you gain additional experience on roads and in driving situations that you may have encountered only briefly — or perhaps not at all — while learning to drive.

I am a DVSA Approved Driving Instructor and Pass Plus Registered Instructor, and my approach is focused on developing safer, more confident and more thoughtful drivers.

Driving at night during one of the Pass Plus sessions

Pass Plus Course – £270*

6 development modules
Minimum 6 hours of training
Usually completed over 3 x 2-hour sessions

*Additional training may be required if the necessary standard has not been achieved in all modules.

What is Pass Plus?

Pass Plus is a practical driver development course designed primarily for people who have recently passed their driving test.

The course builds on the skills required to pass the practical driving test and gives you an opportunity to develop greater experience and confidence in a wider variety of driving environments.

There is no formal test at the end of Pass Plus, but this does not mean that simply completing the hours is enough. Your driving is assessed throughout the course and the required standard must be achieved or exceeded in each module before it can be signed off.

What does Pass Plus cover?

Pass Plus consists of six modules covering a broad range of driving environments and conditions.

Town driving

Developing effective observation and planning skills when dealing with busy streets, junctions, vulnerable road users and changing traffic conditions.

Rural roads

Developing your ability to assess bends, identify hazards, select appropriate speeds and plan safely on country roads.

Sussex is a predominantly rural county, making rural-road experience particularly important for drivers in Burgess Hill, Haywards Heath and the surrounding areas.

Dual carriageways

Developing safe joining and leaving techniques, effective observation, appropriate use of speed, lane discipline, overtaking and forward planning.

Motorways

Developing confidence and experience with slip roads, higher speeds, multi-lane discipline, overtaking, motorway regulations and effective forward planning.

For many newly qualified drivers, Pass Plus provides their first opportunity to gain structured motorway experience with a professional driving instructor alongside them.

Night driving

Developing your ability to drive safely when visibility is reduced, including appropriate use of lights, recognising hazards and adapting your speed and following distance.

Weather conditions

Understanding how different weather conditions affect visibility, grip, stopping distances and vehicle control, and learning how your driving should be adapted accordingly.

Where particular weather conditions cannot be experienced during the course, the relevant risks and techniques will be discussed.

Why take a Pass Plus course?

Passing the driving test demonstrates that you have reached the standard required to drive independently. Experience, however, takes considerably longer to develop.

Pass Plus gives you an opportunity to continue developing your driving with professional guidance after you have passed your test.

The course can be particularly useful if you:

have recently passed your driving test
want more experience before driving longer distances independently
have limited experience of motorways or dual carriageways
want to improve your confidence on rural roads
have had little experience of driving at night
want to develop your observation, planning and hazard awareness
would like professional feedback on your driving after gaining some independent experience.

Why choose Richard Hornsey Driver Training for Pass Plus?

My aim is not simply to work through six modules. I want you to finish the course with a better understanding of how to observe, anticipate, plan and make safe driving decisions independently.

Before becoming a professional driver trainer, I completed a 30-year career with Sussex Police, working predominantly within Roads Policing, Collision Investigation and Casualty Reduction.

During my police career I was an advanced car driver and motorcyclist and gained extensive experience of road safety, driver behaviour and the circumstances that contribute to serious road collisions.

I have policed all of the roads that we will use while training and will now use that experience alongside my professional driver-training knowledge to help drivers improve their skills, awareness and understanding of risk.

The emphasis throughout your Pass Plus course is therefore not simply on completing the syllabus, but on developing skills and experience that you can continue to use throughout your driving life.

Pass Plus in Burgess Hill, Haywards Heath and Brighton & Hove

I provide Pass Plus training for drivers in Burgess Hill, Haywards Heath and Brighton & Hove.

One of the benefits of being based in Mid Sussex is having access to a wide variety of road environments. Training can incorporate busy urban roads, rural roads, high-speed dual carriageways and motorways, allowing the course to provide useful experience beyond the roads you may have regularly driven while preparing for your driving test.

Routes and training are tailored to your existing experience and the areas in which you would benefit from further development.

Is there a Pass Plus test?

No. There is no formal Pass Plus test, but your driving is assessed throughout the course.

You need to demonstrate that you have achieved or exceeded the required standard in each of the six modules before the course can be successfully completed and signed off.

If additional training is required to achieve that standard, further sessions can be arranged but this will incur additional expense.

How long does Pass Plus take?

Pass Plus requires a minimum of six hours of training.

I normally structure the course as three 2-hour sessions, although the precise structure can be adapted where appropriate.

The amount of training ultimately required will depend upon your existing experience and your ability to demonstrate the required standard in each module.

When should I take Pass Plus?

Pass Plus is primarily aimed at newly qualified drivers and is particularly useful during the period after passing your practical driving test, when you are beginning to gain independent driving experience.

You do not necessarily need to start immediately after passing.

Having some independent driving experience first can actually help identify the situations in which you would most benefit from further professional development.

Does Pass Plus include motorway driving?

Yes. Motorway driving is one of the six Pass Plus modules. Traffic conditions and starting location permitting, I generally conduct this part of the course on the M23 and M25.

This can be particularly valuable for newly qualified drivers who had little or no motorway experience before passing their practical test.

The motorway module will include areas such as joining and leaving via slip roads, observation, maintaining safe following distances, lane discipline, overtaking and planning effectively at higher speeds.

Can Pass Plus help me become a more confident driver?

Developing confidence is an important part of gaining driving experience, but confidence needs to be supported by good judgement and appropriate skills.

Pass Plus provides an opportunity to tackle unfamiliar or more demanding driving situations with an experienced instructor alongside you.

Rather than simply trying to make you feel more confident, my objective is to help you understand why a particular driving technique or decision is appropriate. Genuine confidence then develops from greater knowledge, skill and experience.

Can Pass Plus reduce my car insurance?

Some insurance companies may offer a discount after successful completion of Pass Plus, although not all insurers participate and a discount is not guaranteed.

If reducing your insurance premium is an important reason for considering Pass Plus, I recommend checking with your insurer before booking.

For me, the principal benefit of Pass Plus is the additional driving experience and development it provides during an important stage of your driving career.