Meet Dan Stagg — Your Driving Instructor in Crawley & Horsham
18 years' experience. Trained through BSM. The same instructor, every single lesson. Dan answers his own phone.
Experience
Years
teaching
From Croydon roads to 18 years behind the wheel
Dan grew up in Croydon. He passed his driving test the day after his 18th birthday — and knew immediately it was something he wanted to do properly. Not as a side job. Not as a stepping stone. As a career.
He trained through BSM, spending nine months working through all three parts of the ADI (Approved Driving Instructor) qualification: the theory test, the practical driving ability test, and the teaching method test. That's the full process the DVSA requires before anyone is legally allowed to teach. Dan took every part of it seriously.
When he went independent in 2015, his pupils chose to stay with him. That tells you something.
After several years teaching within a larger school, Dan launched Stagg Motoring School in June 2015. Going independent meant taking on the business side himself — but it also meant he could teach exactly the way he believed was right, without anyone else's agenda involved.
That's been the approach for 18 years: same instructor for every lesson, honest progress updates, and no test booking until a mock test says the pupil is genuinely ready. Not roughly ready. Genuinely ready.
Book a lesson with Dan →Properly qualified — not just experienced
Experience matters. But it has to be built on the right foundation. Here's what Dan holds and what it means in practice.
Approved Driving Instructor (ADI)
The DVSA's highest level of driving instruction qualification. Requires passing three separate tests: theory, practical driving, and teaching method. Dan completed all three through BSM in 2006.
DVSA RegisteredDIA Member
Dan is a member of the Driving Instructors Association — the UK's leading professional body for driving instructors. Membership requires adherence to a code of professional conduct.
Active MemberBSM-Trained
Dan trained as an ADI through BSM (British School of Motoring), one of the UK's most rigorous instructor training programmes. The training covers not just how to drive, but how to teach.
Full ADI Qualification18 years in numbers
Passed his driving test
Dan passed his test and decided on the spot that teaching driving was what he wanted to do. Not eventually — soon.
ADI qualification — all three parts
Theory test. Practical driving ability test. Teaching method test. Dan worked through all three with BSM before qualifying.
Qualified as an Approved Driving Instructor
DVSA registered. Began teaching pupils on the roads in and around Crawley and Horsham.
Founded Stagg Motoring School
Went independent after years teaching within a larger school. His existing pupils chose to stay with him rather than move to another instructor.
Still teaching — every day, on the same roads
18 years in. Not managing a franchise. Not behind a desk. Teaching, Monday to Sunday, on the exact roads his pupils will face on test day.
A structured method — not guesswork
Dan's teaching follows a consistent four-stage process for every new topic. Before you try anything on the road, you understand it. By the time you're doing it independently, you've genuinely learned it — not just been talked through it.
iPad briefing
Diagrams and DVSA video before each new topic. You understand what you're about to do and why before the car moves.
Guided practice
Dan talks you through step by step while you drive — building confidence without creating dependency.
Prompted
Dan moves from instructions to questions — you start making your own decisions, with a safety net still in place.
Independent
You drive without prompts. Dan confirms understanding with a short debrief. Only then does the lesson move on.
Five principles Dan doesn't compromise on
Same instructor, every lesson
Continuity isn't a perk — it's the foundation of good teaching. Dan knows exactly where each pupil got to and what they need next.
Mock test before every real test
No exceptions. It's how Dan knows a pupil is genuinely ready — not just roughly ready. He won't book a test without it.
Honest feedback after every lesson
What went well, what needs work, what to focus on. Always specific. Never vague. Pupils always leave knowing where they stand.
Your pace — not the diary's
Dan has never pushed a pupil to test too soon because it suited his schedule. If more time is needed on a topic, more time is taken.
Test routes, not comfortable routes
Every lesson uses roads from the actual Crawley test route. roundabout. The A23. Hazlewick. Nothing on test day is new.
Specialist experience with a wide range of learners
18 years means Dan has taught in almost every situation. These are the areas he's developed specific expertise in.
Nervous drivers
Nearly every pupil arrives nervous. Dan starts in quiet areas with no pressure and no rush. Most pupils are surprised by what they achieve in lesson one. The dual-control car means nothing can go badly wrong — and Dan has been in this seat for 18 years.
Read about nervous driver lessons →Learners with autism or ADHD
Dan has taught many learners with autism, ADHD, and other processing differences. He adapts his communication style, breaks every skill into small manageable steps, pulls over during lessons to process what's been covered, and never compares pupils to one another.
Read about autism & ADHD learners →Pupils who've failed before
If you've failed once or twice and lost confidence, Dan works backwards to find exactly what went wrong. He rebuilds specific weak areas and doesn't rebook a test until a mock says you're ready. Several pupils have come to Dan after failing elsewhere and passed first time with him.
Read their pass stories →Pupils let down by another instructor
Dan regularly takes pupils who've had a bad experience elsewhere — erratic cancellations, a different instructor every few weeks, or an instructor who made them feel useless. From the first phone call, the difference is noticeable.
Get in touch →Returning drivers
If you passed years ago and haven't driven since, Dan can pick things up with you at whatever level you're starting from. No judgement, no "you should know this already". Just practical lessons from where you actually are.
Get in touch →Complete beginners
Dan's first lesson is designed for someone who has never sat in the driver's seat. Quiet roads, everything explained before you try it, and absolutely no rushing. Most complete beginners are surprised how much they cover in that first hour.
Book your first lesson →Why Dan went independent — and why it matters to you
After years teaching within a larger school, Dan set up Stagg Motoring School in 2015 because he believed he could do better for his pupils without the constraints of a franchise model.
The national driving school model is built for scale. That's fine — but scale creates distance. Dan's model is built for the individual. He answers his own phone. He teaches every lesson himself. When something needs sorting, you talk to the person who was in the car with you.
Talk to Dan directly →National franchise — what can happen
With Dan — what you get
Real results from real pupils
These are genuine pass stories from people who learned with Dan in Crawley and Horsham.
Dan was incredibly patient with me from start to finish. I'd had two previous instructors who made me feel anxious every lesson. Within a month with Dan, I was actually looking forward to driving. Passed first time.
My son is autistic and we were worried about finding an instructor who'd understand how he learns. Dan was brilliant — calm, structured, and adapted everything to how my son processes information. He passed with only two minor faults.
I failed my test twice before I came to Dan. He worked out exactly what I'd been doing wrong, rebuilt my confidence, and made sure I was genuinely ready before we booked again. Passed first time.
Frequently asked questions
Dan has been teaching driving lessons for 18 years, having qualified as an Approved Driving Instructor (ADI) in 2006. He trained through BSM, completing all three parts of the ADI qualification: the theory test, the practical driving ability test, and the teaching method test.
Yes. Dan is a fully registered Approved Driving Instructor (ADI) with the DVSA — the highest level of qualification for a driving instructor in the UK. He is also a member of the Driving Instructors Association (DIA). You can verify his registration on the DVSA Find an ADI register.
Dan founded Stagg Motoring School in June 2015 after several years teaching within a larger school. When he went independent, his existing pupils chose to continue learning with him rather than transfer to another instructor.
Yes. Dan has 18 years' experience teaching nervous drivers and it's one of the most common situations he encounters. He starts every nervous pupil in quiet areas, explains everything fully before asking them to try it, and moves at their pace throughout. The dual-control car means he can step in at any point. Most nervous pupils are surprised by how much they achieve in lesson one. Read more about nervous driver lessons →
Yes. Dan has extensive experience teaching learners with autism, ADHD, and other processing differences. He adapts his teaching style to the individual — breaking every skill into small, clearly explained steps, reviewing progress thoroughly at the end of each lesson, and never comparing pupils' progress to one another. Read more about lessons for learners with autism →
Yes, always. Every lesson is with Dan. There are no cover instructors, no stand-ins, and no different instructor while Dan is on holiday. Dan teaches every lesson he books. That continuity — knowing Dan will remember exactly where you got to last time — is one of the most important things about learning with an independent instructor.
Book your first lesson with Dan
Call or email Dan directly. No call centres, no sales script — just a straightforward conversation about what you need and when you'd like to start.