A number one hit by convicted paedophile Gary Glitter is to be removed from a GCSE music paper following a string of complaints, Britain's biggest exam board has confirmed.

The Assessment and Qualification Alliance's (AQA) inclusion of Glitter's 1970s chart topper I'm The Leader Of The Gang on a list of "related listening" for GCSE music coursework had sparked outrage among children's campaigners and teaching groups.

The former glam rocker's name was spotted on a paper sent out to thousands of teenagers on November 1 by a deputy headteacher who said he thought it was "completely inappropriate."

However the AQA has since said it had taken a decision to recall the paper and reissue the related listening list without Glitter's song.

An AQA spokeswoman said: "We regret any offence that has been caused by its inclusion and we will be contacting our centres and recalling the paper."

The unnamed deputy head, from Windsor, Berkshire, said that he had asked the board to withdraw it, but had apparently been told it was too late.

The father of two said: "He's a convicted paedophile jailed for sexually abusing kids. It's completely inappropriate to recommend him as listening material."

Glitter - real name Paul Gadd - served nearly three years in a Vietnam jail for sex offences against young girls.

In 1999, he was jailed in Britain for possessing child porn images on his computer.

When he returned to Britain he was ordered by magistrates to sign on the sex offenders register and give details of his name, address, date of birth and National Insurance number.

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