What Does the ORDIT Register Actually Tell a PDI About Their Trainer?
Last updated: 5 September 2026
It tells you that a trainer or organisation was accepted through the DVSA ORDIT process and remains listed on the official register.
It does not currently tell you how recently that trainer was assessed.
A Freedom of Information response from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency revealed that, as of 9 February 2026, 452 of the 485 registrations listed on the Official Register of Driving Instructor Training had lapsed beyond the normal four-year registration cycle.
That is approximately 93% of the registrations on the register.
The affected trainers and organisations had not been removed because DVSA paused ORDIT while prioritising its statutory services. They continued to appear on GOV.UK even though their normal registration period had ended.
This does not mean those trainers are unsuitable or that they have done anything wrong. It means the register cannot currently give a PDI the complete picture.
What did DVSA reveal about the ORDIT register?
The Freedom of Information request was submitted by Josh Holleran, co-founder of The PDI School, on 9 February 2026.
DVSA provided the following information:
| Question | DVSA response |
|---|---|
| Most recent date a new ORDIT application was accepted | 21 September 2023 |
| Total registrations listed as of 9 February 2026 | 485 |
| Registrations that had lapsed beyond the four-year cycle | 452 |
| Planned date for reopening applications | No date had been decided |
| ORDIT assessments completed in 2020 | 28 |
| ORDIT assessments completed in 2021 | 2 |
| ORDIT assessments completed in 2022 | 11 |
| ORDIT assessments completed in 2023 | 20 |
| Assessments completed from 2024 to the date of the response | 0 |
DVSA therefore reported 61 assessments between 2020 and 2023, followed by no completed assessments from 2024 to the date of its response.
What is ORDIT meant to do?
ORDIT is the Official Register of Driving Instructor Training. It is a voluntary register operated by DVSA for trainers and organisations providing development to PDIs and ADIs.
The ORDIT membership terms and conditions show that the scheme is intended to improve instructor training, promote best practice and help people make an informed choice of trainer.
Before joining the register, a trainer must meet the eligibility requirements and successfully complete the DVSA process. This can include:
- an examination of their course programmes
- a review of training records
- evidence of how trainee progress is monitored
- trainee feedback and reflection
- an engagement call with an ADI examiner
- observation of the trainer delivering instructor training
- consideration of continued professional development
The process is meaningful. Being accepted onto ORDIT is evidence that the trainer met the required standard at the time of their assessment.
How long should ORDIT registration last?
ORDIT registration normally lasts for four years.
Under the membership terms and conditions, organisations should apply for the reassessment and re-registration of each trainer at least three months before the existing registration expires.
The terms say that, to remain on the register, organisations must ensure their trainers pass a full assessment when required.
That four-year cycle matters because teaching, industry guidance and the trainer's own practice can change. Reassessment is intended to provide continuing evidence, rather than treating one successful assessment as permanent.
The current pause means that normal cycle has not been operating.
What does a lapsed ORDIT registration mean?
In its FOI response, DVSA used “lapsed” for registrations that had gone beyond the four-year cycle.
It does not mean the trainer failed an ORDIT assessment.
DVSA is not currently accepting ORDIT applications or reassessment applications. Its published renewal guidance says trainers waiting to renew will not be removed from the register while the scheme is paused.
A trainer may therefore remain listed with DVSA's permission even though their previous four-year registration period has ended.
They have not necessarily ignored their renewal, chosen not to be assessed or failed to meet the standard. The process they would normally use has not been available.
Are trainers with lapsed registrations still ORDIT registered?
DVSA continues to list them under its current arrangements.
It would be wrong to suggest that all 452 registrations are invalid or that the affected trainers are misleading people simply by remaining on the register.
It would also be wrong to assume that every listed trainer has completed an ORDIT assessment within the previous four years.
There is now an important difference between:
- being listed on the ORDIT register
- having been assessed within the normal four-year cycle
For many registrations, those things no longer mean the same thing.
Does this make ORDIT meaningless?
No.
The original assessment still provides evidence about the trainer. The standards within the ORDIT terms and conditions are also relevant to what good instructor training should include.
However, ORDIT should be considered in context.
A listing tells you that the trainer previously completed the DVSA process and remains on the register. It does not currently tell you:
- when their assessment took place
- whether their four-year registration period has ended
- whether DVSA has observed their training recently
- how their approach has developed since the assessment
- what support an individual PDI will actually receive
ORDIT is one piece of evidence. It is not a substitute for examining the training relationship in front of you.
Does a trainer have to be ORDIT registered?
No.
ORDIT is voluntary. An Approved Driving Instructor does not need an additional qualification to provide driving instructor training.
A non-ORDIT trainer is not automatically a poor trainer. An ORDIT-registered trainer is not automatically the right trainer for every PDI.
Those statements can both be true.
ORDIT provides independent evidence that a trainer successfully completed a recognised DVSA process. That has value. But people learn differently, trainers work differently and a training relationship can still be ineffective even where the trainer has strong credentials.
The better question is not simply:
“Are they ORDIT registered?”
It is:
“What evidence do I have that this training is helping me develop?”
What should I ask an ORDIT trainer before starting?
You should be able to ask direct questions about the training you are considering.
For example:
- When did you complete your most recent ORDIT assessment?
- What did the assessment involve?
- How will you assess my current knowledge and ability?
- How will the training change as I develop?
- How will my progress be monitored and recorded?
- Will I receive copies of my training records?
- How do you support reflection between training sessions?
- What happens if the training approach is not working for me?
- What support is available after I pass Part 3?
- Are the training, sponsorship and franchise agreements separate commitments?
An effective trainer should be able to explain what they do and why they do it.
What do the ORDIT terms say good training should include?
The terms and conditions provide useful detail about what DVSA expects from ORDIT trainers and organisations.
Training should be structured and aligned with the relevant national standards. Goals should be appropriate to the trainee's ability, with learning outcomes agreed and discussed.
The trainer should monitor progress and maintain proper records. These can include:
- the subject and purpose of the training
- the trainer's assessment of strengths and development needs
- the trainee's feedback and reflections
- progress towards agreed outcomes
- training provided across the ADI qualification process
For Part 3 development, the terms refer to client-centred learning, appropriate goals, monitoring progress and helping the trainee develop their instructional ability.
This does not mean every trainer must deliver identical sessions or follow one script.
Structured training should still respond to the individual. A record is useful when it helps the trainer and trainee examine development. Completing paperwork is not the same as creating learning.
What if I am ORDIT-trained but feel stuck?
Being trained by someone on ORDIT does not mean you must ignore your own experience of the training.
If you are struggling, ask yourself:
- Do I understand what I am currently trying to improve?
- Do I receive specific feedback that I can use?
- Is the training changing as my needs change?
- Am I developing my own judgement, or learning a performance to repeat?
- Do I understand the principles behind the decisions I am making?
- Can I discuss difficulties without feeling that I am simply failing the trainer's method?
- Is there evidence that I am progressing?
Feeling stuck does not automatically mean your trainer is poor. It may mean the current approach needs to change, the goal is unclear or you need a different perspective.
Talk to your trainer about what is not working. Give them an opportunity to explain their approach and adapt it.
If the same problems continue, it is reasonable to seek another opinion or consider whether a different training relationship would suit you better.
Can I change trainer if my current trainer is ORDIT registered?
Yes.
ORDIT registration does not make a training agreement permanent and it does not mean one trainer must take you through every stage of the qualification.
However, you should check any contract, franchise agreement, notice period or trainee licence arrangement before making a change.
If you are teaching on a trainee licence, your licence is connected to the training establishment named on it. Changing arrangements can therefore involve additional DVSA requirements.
Changing trainer also does not necessarily mean the first trainer was incompetent. Sometimes a trainee needs another explanation, a different challenge or experience of another trainer's perspective.
Collecting different opinions without examining them can create more confusion. If two trainers suggest different approaches, ask what each is trying to achieve and why it may be appropriate for the learner or situation.
The aim is not to find the one correct script. It is to develop your ability to make informed decisions.
How should a PDI use the ORDIT register now?
Use it as a starting point, not a final verdict.
The register can help you identify trainers who have previously completed the DVSA ORDIT process. You can then ask about the date of their assessment, their continued development and what their training currently involves.
You can also consider evidence outside the register:
- the quality and clarity of their training agreement
- how they assess your individual needs
- whether goals and progress are recorded
- whether feedback helps you understand what to do next
- how they respond when something is not working
- what previous trainees actually say about their development
- whether the trainer continues to examine and develop their own practice
Do not dismiss ORDIT because the scheme is paused.
Do not assume a listing answers every question either.
What should PDIs take from the FOI response?
The FOI response does not prove that ORDIT trainers are providing poor training.
It does not prove that non-ORDIT trainers are better.
It shows that the public register is operating outside its normal four-year reassessment cycle. Approximately 93% of listed registrations had lapsed beyond that cycle, and no ORDIT assessments had been completed from 2024 to the date of the response.
That matters because trainees should understand what the register can and cannot currently evidence.
ORDIT status can support an informed choice. It should not replace one.
Official information and sources
The figures on this page come from a DVSA Freedom of Information response following a request submitted by Josh Holleran on 9 February 2026.
- ORDIT membership terms and conditions
- Become a driving instructor ORDIT trainer
- Renew or manage your ORDIT registration
- Approved driving instructor register guide
The published GOV.UK guidance was checked on 2 September 2026. This page will be updated if DVSA reopens applications or materially changes the scheme.
View the original DVSA Freedom of Information response (opens in a new tab)
Source: Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), response to a Freedom of Information request submitted by Josh Holleran. The original response is reproduced for transparency. Personal contact information has been redacted.