Equality & Diversity Policy

Last updated: 13 August 2026

Wharf Driving School teaches people from every background across 51 areas of East London and the City. This policy sets out how we treat pupils and instructors fairly, what that means in day to day practice, and what we expect from the people we teach.

Our Commitment

We are committed to treating every pupil, applicant and instructor fairly, and to not discriminating against anyone because of a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010. The nine protected characteristics are:

• age;
• disability;
• gender reassignment;
• marriage and civil partnership;
• pregnancy and maternity;
• race (including colour, nationality and ethnic or national origins);
• religion or belief;
• sex;
• sexual orientation.

This covers direct discrimination, indirect discrimination, harassment and victimisation. It applies to how we take bookings, how we allocate lessons, how we price them, how instructors behave toward pupils, and how we behave toward each other.

What This Means in Practice

• Bookings: we do not refuse tuition on the basis of a protected characteristic. If we cannot take a booking, it is because of availability, our service area or something practical we will explain to you.
• Pricing: our prices are published, and they are the same for everyone taking the same service. An automatic hour is £37 in Canary Wharf and £37 in Barking. Nobody is quoted more or less because of their background, their accent, their address within our service area, their age or their gender.
• Lesson allocation: lesson times, test-preparation slots and mock tests are allocated on availability and on what a pupil is ready for, not on who a pupil is.
• Instructor matching: we match pupils to instructors on availability, location and, where we can, on teaching style and continuity. We do not steer pupils toward or away from an instructor because of race, religion, disability, sexuality or any other protected characteristic.
• Progress and test readiness: our advice on whether you are ready for the practical test is based on your driving, and nothing else.

Requests for a Male or Female Instructor

We are asked about this often, usually by women, by pupils from faith backgrounds where one to one lessons with a man would be uncomfortable, and by parents of teenage pupils. It is a reasonable thing to ask and you will not be judged for asking.

We will accommodate a request for a male or female instructor where we can, and we will tell you honestly when we cannot. What we will not do is promise it and then quietly ignore it. Availability changes, our instructor team is not large, and there will be times when honouring a preference means waiting longer for a slot or being offered fewer times to choose from. We will set that out clearly so you can decide what suits you, rather than leaving you to find out at the point of booking.

The same applies if you would prefer a chaperone present. Lessons with a parent, guardian or another adult sitting in can usually be arranged if you ask in advance, so that we can make sure it is safe and practical. Our Safeguarding Policy covers this in more detail.

Language and Communication

English is not a first language for many of the people we teach, and that is not a barrier to learning to drive. Instructors are expected to speak clearly, avoid unnecessary jargon, check that an instruction has landed rather than assuming it has, and repeat things patiently. Nobody should feel embarrassed about asking for something to be explained again.

You are welcome to bring a family member or friend to help with communication when arranging lessons, and we are happy to confirm arrangements by text or email if that is easier to follow than a phone call. Your theory and practical tests are conducted by the DVSA under its own rules, which we do not set, so please check the DVSA’s guidance on language support before booking a test.

Disability and Additional Needs

We teach in automatic cars only, which removes a significant physical barrier for many pupils. Where a pupil needs lessons paced, structured or explained differently, we will make reasonable adjustments to how we teach. What we can and cannot offer, including the limits on vehicle adaptations, is set out honestly in our Accessibility Statement.

Respect Works Both Ways

Our instructors are entitled to the same respect we ask them to show. Discriminatory language, harassment, threatening behaviour or abuse directed at an instructor is not tolerated, whether it happens in the car, on the phone or in a message.

Consistent with our Terms & Conditions, we may decline or end tuition in cases of abusive, threatening or unsafe behaviour. Where that happens, we will explain why, and any hours you have paid for and not used will be dealt with under our Complaints & Refund Policy.

Instructors are equally entitled to raise concerns about how they have been treated, and to have those concerns taken seriously.

Raising a Concern

If you believe you have been treated unfairly by anyone teaching or working for Wharf Driving School, please tell us. Phone 07706 876263 or email info@wharfdrivingschool.co.uk. You can ask a parent, partner or friend to raise it on your behalf.

We will look into it, respond to you, and explain what we are doing about it, following the timescales in our Complaints & Refund Policy. Raising a concern in good faith will never count against you or affect the tuition you receive. If you are not satisfied with our response, complaints about an instructor’s conduct can be escalated to the DVSA, which regulates approved driving instructors, and you retain your rights under the Equality Act 2010 regardless of anything in this policy.

Reviewing This Policy

We review this policy and update it when the law changes or when something we learn tells us it could be clearer. Changes are published on this page with a revised "last updated" date.