John Harvey – Instructor and Business Owner
John Harvey is the Driving School owner. John is a fully qualified Driving Standards Agency Approved Driving Instructor and has been for 19 years. He is a Grade A DVSA ADI. John scored 51/51 on his most recent Standards Check in June 2016.
He is the highest graded driving instructor in the South East according to the DVSA website. Click here for more information.
Grade A instructors are the highest grade any ADI can become and according to the DVSA they have ‘Very high overall performance’.
John started out as a driving instructor in 2005. Having trained at BSM he then moved to the AA in 2007. He made the decision to go independent in 2008 and started John Harvey Driving School. John trained some of, and provides training to all the instructors currently working for John Harvey Driving School.
- Highest DVSA Grade Instructor since 2012
- Scored 51/51 on his last DVSA Standards Check
- In the top 3% of driving instructors in the country
- Driving Instructor Trainer
John lived in Canterbury all his life before getting married to Nina in 2011 and then moved to Hawkinge near Folkestone a year later. He enjoys football and plays 5-a-side every week. He supports Liverpool FC. John has a 22 year old son, Sam, who passed his own driving test in March 2020 with zero driver faults! He also has 2 daughters, Ilanna 9 and Lyra 6. John is keen to keep his driving standards at as high a level as possible and has recently been on two training days with Chris Gilbert. Chris was a Class One Police driving trainer for over 22 years and taught Prince William, Prince Harry and the Duchess of York to drive, so John had a great instructor on those training days! John received a glowing report from Chris Gilbert, complementing him on his level of driving, assessed as high on the police driver marking system.
Learn more about Chris Gilbet here
John undertakes regular CPD to ensure his tuition is of the highest quality.
John provides driving instructor training & Automatic driving lessons in Canterbury.
Karen Allsop – Instructor
Karen joined the team at the driving school in June 2015. She is a fully qualified driving instructor.
Karen did all her driving instructor training with John Harvey so you can be assured of the highest standard of training methods and instruction.
When not in the car, Karen is a keen horse rider and has her own horse which she tries to ride as much as possible.
Karen is a full time member of the team, she provides driving lessons in Folkestone and Canterbury and teaches in a Citroen C3.
Chris Jones – Instructor
Chris joined the team in 2018.
As with all the instructors that work for the driving school he did all his driving instructor training with John so you can be assured of the highest standard of training methods and instruction. He is a fully qualified driving instructor.
Chris used to be a chef in the Army before leaving. He has worked for many years in catering and fancied a change of career.
Chris covers Canterbury. He teaches automatic lessons in a Mercedes EQA.
Marcello Rizzo – Instructor
Marcello joined the team in 2019.
As with all the instructors that work for the driving school he did his driving instructor training with John so you can be assured of the highest standard of training methods and instruction. He is a fully qualified driving instructor. He has a young family and lives in Canterbury.
Marcello works full time for the driving school. He is Italian. He can give lessons in Italian, Spanish & is fluent in English.
He covers Canterbury & teaches in a Volkswagen Golf.
Gary Francis – Instructor
Gary comes from a mechanical and engineering background with a love for motorcycles having rebuilt some of his own and has even dabbled with car restoration projects.
He decided on a change of career so he could spend more quality time with his large crazy family!
He’s also a keen amateur beer brewer and a chilli grower who loves music, especially live music.
Gary was trained by the John Harvey Driving School instructor training program so you can be sure of a high standard of tuition on each lesson.
He covers Canterbury, Herne Bay & Whistable. He teaches in a Audi A3.
Chris Mealin – Instructor
Originally from the Isle Of Man, Chris comes with a wealth of driving experience. Before becoming a driving instructor, he used to be a racing driver and on track instructor!
He was trained by the John Harvey Driving School instructor training program so you can be sure of a high standard of tuition on each lesson.
Chris covers the Canterbury area and teaches Manual lessons in Ford Fiesta.
Dean Cotter – Instructor
He was trained by the John Harvey Driving School instructor training program so you can be sure of a high standard of tuition on each lesson.
Dean covers the Canterbury area and teaches Manual lessons in Ford Focus.
Cristian Ghita – Instructor
Cristian is originally from Romania. As a 9 year old he visited France and from that day he has had a passion for travel. At 14, he started working for the State Circus in Bucharest so he was able to travel the world with them.
He has a passion for cars, and first drove at the age of 9 (off road)! Once he passed his driving test, his first job was a personal chauffer and since then he has always earned a living from driving. He has a love for driving and loves the freedom that comes with it.
You could say that Cristian is a car enthusiast! He currently owns 4 cars including an Aston Martin DB7. Ask him about cars, he will be able to tell you the answer.
He was trained by the John Harvey Driving School instructor training program so you can be sure of a high standard of tuition on each lesson.
Cristian covers the Canterbury, Herne Bay, Whitstable & Faversham areas and teaches Manual lessons in Citroen DS3
Jarno Keen – Instructor
Jarno has a passion for cars and motor bikes. Whilst not teaching having 4 children, including two under 5’s, keeps Jarno very busy!
He was trained by the John Harvey Driving School instructor training program so you can be sure of a high standard of tuition on each lesson.
Jarno covers the Canterbury, Herne Bay, Whitstable & Faversham areas and teaches Manual lessons in Ford Focus.
Nik Meomken – Instructor
Nik was born and grew up in Kent, close to Ashford where he now teaches.
Having studied with the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport he has a Level 6 Advanced Diploma in Transport and Logistics and has worked in the transport industry since 1990.
He holds full motorcycle, coach and lorry licenses and has extensive experience of driving across the UK and Europe, subsequently spending several years as a Transport Manager. Overseeing the training and continual development of staff within his previous roles has enabled him to join our team with a wealth of experience to enhance pupils’ learning.
Nik’s calm, professional manner will put you at ease and help develop your confidence. He has been trained through the John Harvey Driving School Instructor Training Program so can be assured of a high standard of tuition in each lesson.
Nik covers Ashford and the surrounding postcode areas and teaches manual lessons in a Ford Focus.
Matt Ellis – Instructor
Before he trained to become a driving instructor, Matt was a delivery driver in and around London.
In his spare time, Matt enjoys playing golf, the guitar and traveling to watch live music.
He has been trained through the John Harvey Driving School Instructor Training Program so can be assured of a high standard of tuition in each lesson.
Matt covers Herne Bay, Whitstable & Canterbury. He teaches manual lessons in a Peugeot 207.
Chris Penfold – Instructor
Chris comes from a background working with Kent County Council highways department where he used to drive HGV’s including gritting lorries.
In his spare time, Chris enjoys looking after his grandchildren.
He has been trained through the John Harvey Driving School Instructor Training Program so can be assured of a high standard of tuition in each lesson.
Chris covers Deal, Dover and Folkestone. He teaches manual lessons in a Skoda Karoq.
Valdimir Zlenko – Instructor
Vladimir moved to the UK when he was a teenager and comes from a working background in construction and driving.
He has been trained through the John Harvey Driving School Instructor Training Program so can be assured of a high standard of tuition in each lesson.
Vladimir cover Canterbury, Herne Bay, Whitstable & Margate. He teaches automatic lessons in a Renault Zoe.
Karol Baka – Instructor
Karol used to be a driving instructor until 2019 and has now decided to return to the industry.
He has been trained through the John Harvey Driving School Instructor Training Program so can be assured of a high standard of tuition in each lesson.
Karol covers Canterbury. He teaches automatic lessons in a Toyota Corolla.
Rachel Kendall-Jones – Instructor
Rachel joined the team in 2022 after working for many years in the care industry.
She has been trained through the Highly successful John Harvey Driving School Instructor Training Program so can be assured of a high standard of tuition in each lesson. She is a fully qualified driving instructor.
Rachel covers Canterbury, Herne Bay and Whitstable. She teaches automatic lessons in a Renault Megan.
Steven Marsh – Instructor
Steven has a young family with 4 children, who keep him very busy when away form work. He used to work in the food supply industry to school.
He has been trained through the Highly successful John Harvey Driving School Instructor Training Program so can be assured of a high standard of tuition in each lesson.
Steven covers Canterbury and the surrounding. He teaches manual lessons in a Ford Fiesta.
For more information or to book your lessons please call
