AS ANNIVERSARIES go, 30 years is not particularly special perhaps.

For a school, and an independent school at that, it is very short life compared with most others, many of which date back hundreds of years.

But the anniversary Yarm School celebrates this year is one which its founders, staff, parents and pupils can be justly proud of. What has been achieved in such a short period of time is quite remarkable.

Given the unpromising start to the institution's life, with tiny resources, few pupils and not many staff, its rise to become one of the country's leading independent schools is an educational success story of national significance.

Yarm School may not have the cachet of some of the longer established public schools, but it has managed to establish a no-nonsense reputation for good quality education in its broadest sense. Its academic results are among the best in the North of England but Yarm also produces talented musicians, artists and those skilled in a variety of sports. Even where Yarm pupils don't excel in any particular field, they tend to be rounded individuals wellequipped to make a contribution to society.

The "Yarm way" is proving remarkably popular. Despite the difficult economic times, the school is full with almost 1,000 pupils being "educated for life".

That is testament to the work done to establish the school. Its founding fathers (and mothers) and first headmaster, Neville Tate, can reflect on a very good job well done.

The next 30 years may prove to be just as challenging for Yarm but in a rather different way. The major issue is how it develops in the future, reconciling the growing demand for a Yarm School education with the physical limitations of its site. Work on this is already underway and solutions will surely be found - just as they were 30 years ago.