I'm sure he won't mind me quoting him, but Dan Winterland posted this on another thread:
The Flying Selection Squadron was formed for flying grading in about 1978 aimed for pilots who had done less than 30 hours flying (i.e hadn't done a RAF flying scholarship or held a PPL). The candidates did a 14 hour course with tests at 7 and 14 hours. Unlike the Navy course, they didn't go solo. In 1985, it was decided to give the students a 65 hour course which included solo time, IF, nav and formation. They then went to Cranwell to do the short course the graduate students from UASs did. This was some 30 hours shorter than the full basic course, all flown on the JP5. In about 1988, the experimental long course on the Chipmunk was made official and the unit was renamed the Elementary Flying Trining Squadron. The course had reduced to 54 hours and the students went on to any of the three FTSs, but still doing the short course. The last course was in early 1993 and I could check my logbook to see who was the last taildragger trained student. But I can confirm that I was the last QFI in the RAF to train on a taildragger.