STUDENTS were forced to miss one of their GCSE examinations after the school heating system broke down.

The 110 pupils, who were due to take GCSE Information Communication Technology (ICT), will have to take the subject with the rest of their examinations later this year.

The disruption came after a gas leak was reported on Tuesday morning at Sunnydale Comprehensive School, in Shildon, County Durham.

The heating system in the school had to be turned off and all 660 pupils were sent home until it could be fixed.

A spokesman for the school said: "The heating had to be turned off and there were subsequent problems after a valve broke and the part had to be ordered in.

"It means that the students have had an unexpected three-day break, and although that may sound like fun, it has caused a lot of disruption.

"A lot of the kids are coming up for deadlines for coursework, and to lose three days at this time is quite disruptive, but it is just one of those things that could not be helped.

"There is never a good time for a heating system to break. We would have liked to have got the ICT exam out of the way, but we had no choice but to cancel."

Teachers returned to work at the school on Thursday after the heating system was fixed, and the students returned to a normal class timetable yesterday.

The breakdown also affected nearby Sunnydale Leisure Centre, which shares the school's heating system.

Emergency heating was brought into the centre, and staff kept facilities open throughout the three days.

The Durham County Sportshall Final went ahead this week as scheduled. It featured 400 pupils from schools in the region. Sunnydale students had to withdraw from the games.

A spokesperson for gas pipeline company Transco said: "A six-inch valve was broken, and it is not a part that is carried on our vans. We had to get the part in and the heating was repaired and up and running by 9am on Thursday.''