back in my day (2001-2003) we had to pass critical point exams, cant remember the pass mark but it was mainly self taught or with help from fellow students and unsupervised exams.
Having done both UAS exams and PPL exams the UAS ones were considerably easier, but there is huge amounts of what I feel unnessicary information in the PPL exams.
Glad to hear bosses can send students on solo aeros again, it was a said day when the RAF cut back UAS money, they should wake up and stop giving billions of wasted money to BAe and buy off the shelf and they could open up more UAS squadrons!