Drive with PRIDE was established by my late Grandfather. He trained with BSM and remained with them for a number of years until deciding to launch Drive with PRIDE.

Ernest Simmons was a highly skilled cabinet maker, carpenter, and a milkman and then decided to train as a driving instructor as he was passionate about road safety and guiding others to succeed and gain the freedom to pursue their endeavours. He also delivered lunchtime meals to the elderly, where he made their day!

He gained an incredible reputation with his witty sense of humour, coaching style and dedication to his customers and was one of the most popular driving schools in Sussex.

At 65, he decided to retire and move to Spain with his wife Pat, sister in law Allana and brother in law Arthur. They lived there for 10 years and then decided to return to be with the family. Ernie then got back into the instructors seat to teach my wife Cassandra in 2015, and help me pursue my ambition to become a driving instructor.

My Background

I passed my driving test back in 2002! I have always loved driving and have driven to Spain, around other countries, to a number of places across the UK and generally love to go for long drives!

I studied I.T. NVQ and A level. I became a programmer for a short while, but gave this up due to finding it boring! I became a web designer, but decided that an office job wasn't for me!

I travelled to Spain to stay with my grandparents and aunty and uncle, I then came back to the UK due to the lack of work. I then decided to pursue a career in retail management. What I loved about the job was encouraging others to develop their skills and pursue a career in management. After working for different companies and working my way up the ladder, I decided that I wanted a career change! The 2 things that I love is driving, and helping others succeed. I am also passionate about road safety and promoting road safety. I had the added bonus of my Grandad being a retired ADI!

So I started the RED driving school training programme, and in 2018 became a trainee driving instructor with the support and guidance of my grandad.

In 2019 my beautiful wife and I took our vows in a monastery in Rhodes with close friends and family. we then were expecting our first child and then 2020 hit! The pandemic!!

I now have 2 beautiful girls, my eldest is 3 and youngest is 19 months, a beautiful wife, our dog and cat! I then decided to leave RED driving school because I was inundated with pupils since the pandemic. My Grandad sadly passed away in 2022, so I decided to relaunch his driving school in January 2023, with a fresh modern look.