At the last session of grade exams (Dec 2011) a student taking grade 5 electronic keyboard had cause to be upset about the exam conditions at Yarm School, which were noisy with a lot of distractions. When she related what had happened to me, I was very concerned, as the situation sounded most unsatisfactory. I wrote to both the head of exams at LCM and also the local exam rep, voicing my concerns. I immediately received replies from both people, plus the Director of Music at Yarm School. They took my concerns very seriously and were at great pains to resolve the situation. Apparently there are now new facilities at the school, which have been tested by the rep whilst adjudicating a piano festival. She reported back to me that they are superb, and that Yarm School would now make an excellent venue for any musical event. So anybody looking for a venue with great facilities in the Darlington area should check this out!

I was very relieved and encouraged by LCM's quick and helpful responses to my concerns, and a good outcome.  If you are wondering,  my student did pass her grade 5 very comfortably.