Driving forward

By Bridget Brady
Cranbourne driving instructor Stuart Barkway has developed a unique driving program with the school, which educates Year 10 students in the Boost program, and some 11 and 12 students about the various things they need to know before they get behind the wheel.
Mr Barkway said the Boost to Drive program, which runs for about six weeks, was an interactive and hands-on initiative that made the students better prepared before their tests.
Some of the topics covered included driving in different conditions, road rage and alcohol and drug use.
“Coming from a driving instructor background they (students) tend to sit back and listen more because a person like me is going to help them get their licence at the end of the day,” Mr Barkway said.
Year 10 student Daniel said he might not have got his learner’s permit if not for the Boost to Drive program.
“I’m not the best when it comes to studying by myself. If I just picked up a book and read I really wouldn’t have taken in much of the information,” Daniel said.
“If I didn’t have the program I probably wouldn’t have got my Ls at all.”
Co-ordinator of the Boost program at the school, Trish Chandler, said the driving program was all about “what the book doesn’t teach you” and suited students with various learning styles.
“A lot of students prefer to learn face to face and learn by seeing rather than writing or reading about it,” she said.
Ms Chandler said she hoped the program could continue at the school in the future, and hopefully extend it to all Year 10 students.
Mr Barkway said he was keen to develop the Boost to Drive program further and introduce it into other schools.