THE fight against controversial plans to turn schools into privately backed academies intensified today when teachers from Hayward and Withins Schools went on strike.

Teachers who are members of the National Union of Teachers (NUT)from Withins in Breightmet, who have staged two walkouts before, joined their colleagues on the picket line at Hayward in Great Lever. Staff at the school who are members of Unison also took industrial action.

Around 40 trade union members armed with banners and placards stood at the school gates in protest to take both schools out of Bolton Council control and place them in the hands of private organisations.

Teachers say they are worried about their terms and conditions.

National Union of Teachers representative at Hayward School, Andi Peters said: "The case to turn this school into an academy had not been proven.The authority say it will bring in investment,the £21 million for the school. Plans were being drawn upfor the school and then were delayed by the authority because they wanted to go down the academy route which will bring in more or less the same amount of money."

He added: "Teachers here chose to work for the authority and not the private sector. Bolton Council are a co-sponsor but we have been told we will not be under their control."

Mr Peters warned that the NUT understood that other schools were also under threat of becoming academies.

The National Union of Teachers lodged papers with the High Court in their legal challenge against Bolton Council over way consultation has been carried out with regard to closing Hayward and reopening it in September as an academy.