Driving lessons in Woodlands

A model village between the Great North Road and the Roman Ridge

Woodlands sits about four miles north-west of Doncaster city centre in the DN6 postcode district. The architect Percy Houfton designed it in the early 1900s as housing for miners at Brodsworth Colliery, and it is now a conservation area with many listed houses, including pairs on Green Lane dated 1908. The village lies between the A638 Great North Road and Ermine Street, the old Roman road known locally as the Roman Ridge.

At its centre is The Park, a 24-acre green ringed by about 120 houses. Around it run long avenues with grass verges and short terraces. Highfields lies to the south, the old village of Adwick-le-Street is reached along Doncaster Lane, and Brodsworth, with its English Heritage hall, is out to the west.

Where we pick up in Woodlands

Lessons can start from your front door or from wherever you work or study. Places we often meet learners include:

• Outwood Primary Academy Woodlands on The Crescent, handy for parents booking a lesson around drop-off.
• Outwood Academy Adwick on Windmill Balk Lane, whose sixth form students can be collected after the last lesson of the day.
• Redhouse Industrial Estate off Rockingham Way, for anyone finishing a shift at one of the distribution sites there.
• Woodlands Park Club on the Great North Road, a listed 18th-century house next to Highfields Country Park.
• All Saints Church on Central Avenue, the red brick church with the tall spire that most people in the village can find without directions.

How lessons build up through the village

First lessons stay on the avenues inside the village, such as West Avenue and Harold Avenue, where traffic is light and the roads are straight. Next come the curves of The Crescent and The Oval, which are good for steering practice and for learning to give way to cars parked on your side.

From there you move out onto Green Lane, which runs south as the B6422 towards Scawthorpe, and onto the side road junctions where Welfare Road, Chadwick Road, Ridge Balk Lane and The Oval meet the Great North Road. Joining the A638 at those junctions teaches you to judge the speed of traffic and pick a safe gap. The Highwayman Roundabout and the run north towards the Red House Interchange, junction 38 of the A1(M), come last.

From Woodlands to the Doncaster test centre

Practical tests in Doncaster start from Heather Court on Shaw Wood Business Park, DN2 5YL, on the Armthorpe side of the city. In a straight line it is about three and a half miles from The Crescent, and further by road because you have to cross Doncaster to reach it.

Most lessons heading that way follow the A638 south past the Highwayman Roundabout and Highfields, then through Scawthorpe past Don Valley Academy and onto York Road, which passes Centurion Retail Park and Morrisons on the way into the city. As your test gets closer, we spend more time on roads like the ones you will meet on test, including the kind of junctions found around the test centre. Our guide to the Doncaster driving test explains the day itself.

Lesson types and why they suit Woodlands

• Manual driving lessons in Woodlands: the junctions onto the Great North Road teach you to match gear and speed to fast traffic.
• Automatic driving lessons in Woodlands: useful if you will mainly drive the A638 and York Road into the city, where traffic often slows and queues.
• Beginner driving lessons in Woodlands: the straight avenues away from the main road are ideal for a first drive.
• Intensive driving courses in Woodlands: a good fit for shift workers at Redhouse Industrial Estate with a run of days off.
• Refresher driving lessons in Woodlands: rebuild your nerve on the A638 and the A1(M) at Red House.
• Nervous driver lessons in Woodlands: lap The Park at your own pace before going anywhere near the main road.
• Motability driving lessons in Woodlands: automatic cars and pick-up from your door on any of the village avenues.
• Mock driving tests in Woodlands: rehearse the drive down York Road and across the city under test conditions.

Male and female instructors

Our instructors are all DBS checked and most are DVSA approved driving instructors (ADIs), and every car is dual controlled and fully insured. You can ask for a female driving instructor or a male driving instructor when you call. Nick puts a lot of weight on hazard awareness and understanding why things happen on the road, while Loredana is especially good with nervous learners.

Lesson rates and block booking packages are on our prices page, with more context in our Doncaster driving lesson prices guide. Before you book the practical test you will need a theory pass, and our theory test guide can help. Not sure about the gearbox yet? Read should I get a manual or automatic licence, or see what learners say on our reviews page.

Questions from Woodlands learners

Do you cover Highfields as well as Woodlands?

Yes. Highfields runs straight into the south end of Woodlands along the Great North Road, so we pick up there too. Lessons from either side use the same village avenues and the same stretch of the A638.

Will my lessons go on the Great North Road?

Yes, once you are ready. The A638 runs right along the edge of Woodlands, so it is the natural next step after the village streets. Your instructor will only take you there when you can handle junctions with confidence.

How do I get a provisional licence?

You can apply for your provisional licence on GOV.UK from 15 years and 9 months old, and start driving at 17. You need it in your hand before your first lesson, so apply a few weeks before you want to start.

Is Woodlands far from the test centre?

The Shaw Wood test centre is on the other side of Doncaster and is about three and a half miles from the middle of Woodlands as the crow flies. The usual way there is down the A638 and York Road and then across the city, which gives you plenty of varied roads on the way.

Can you pick me up from Outwood Academy Adwick?

Yes. The academy is on Windmill Balk Lane on the edge of Woodlands, and sixth form students can be collected straight after college. We can also drop you home at the end of the lesson.