belowradar,
I can't see anything the the changes that will change your situation - you can move from being a stand-alone RTF to an ATO.
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Please refer to the economic aspect of the matter : all this is creating a barrier of entry, discouraging competition in FI community.
Does the regulation of Airlines discourage competition in the Pilot community or act as a barrier of entry?
By insisting on extensive record keeping, you are forcing students to pay for £ 40 - £ 100 / hour people to perform clerical duties without adding to safety or instruction quality.
So are you proposing that;
You should be able to work as an FI and simply keep the student progress records in your head?
What if they decide to change schools?
How do you back-up your statement to the student that they need to perhaps think about making Sailing their hobby rather than flying?
How do you stand up in court and tell the Judge that you did train that dead student to the required standard and not only that, the student agreed with that every time they countersigned the training record - a record that you don't have?
As I have said many times before, good training providers be they individuals or large international companies will have no problem with this.
The standard of instruction will not change and nor is this process designed to change it. Seminars are not there to check competencies. They are there to provide a forum for information and collective learning.
What causes good instruction standards are good training providers providing good instructor courses and other training providers insisting on good standards of instruction from the instructors they employ - and not being afraid to show the under performers the door.