TEACHERS at a Bolton secondary school will walk out on strike again next month.

Members of the NUT who work at Withins School in Breightmet will take a day of industrial action on Thursday, May 8, over plans to transform it school into an academy.

The results of a ballot of union members was announced earlier this week, revealing 94 per cent of staff who took part were in favour of strike action.

As part of the Government's academy plans, Withins will be transformed into a £30 million complex where existing pupils, along with those from Top o' th' Brow Primary and Firwood Special School, will be taught.

Work on the new academy, which will be one of the first in the country, is due to be completed by 2010.

But teachers insist they want to remain within the Bolton "family" of schools and be funded and managed by the local authority.

Philip Roberts, NUT representative at Withins, said: "This strike shows the strength of feeling and will hopefully send a message to the local authority that we want to stay in that family of schools."

The school, which is one of the most improved secondary schools in the country after being placed in special measures in 2003, is due to officially become an academy on the current site in September.

The Government contributes typically about £25 million towards an academy and extra money is secured from private bodies. The private organisation runs the school outside of the local education authority's funding control, but still operates it within all the national requirements for curriculum and standards.

Withins is the first school in the borough to achieve academy status. Hayward School in Great Lever has also applied.