Hi. Let me address a couple of issues.
If you dont get on with your instructor, change straight away. Talk to your friends who have recently passed and find out who did good for them. Was the car good, was their attitude good, did they arrive on time, all important factors.
How many lessons? The Driving Standards Agency suggests 47 hours of professional tuition and 20 plus hous of private driving, so I guess this is where your instructor gets her figures from,
see HERE for more information.
However .......
Most of my pupils do pass their test within 35 hours, the best ever was just 12 hours, but everyone does learn at different speeds. All my pupils get a full hours of driving, if its a 1 hour lesson, and the lesson is planned and objectives set when they get in the car.
On the very rare occasions that I need to touch the pedals, I discuss the situation with the pupils and then the pupil reapproaches the same hazard and we work through it together (is is usually observation based!).
As far as reversing goes, it is a skill that you need to perfect, and usually my pupils are reversing by hour 3.
However, in your list of things that you say you can do, you ommit, probably the most important part of safe driving, observation. If you cannot effectively observe what is going on, then you cannot drive safely. So have a thing and do you use MSM, MSPSL and LADA, and do you use Early Vision, Early Decision. If you dont, then ask your instructor about it, or indeed change.
Driving is great and so enjoy your lessons but be safe.
The Driver.