TEACHERS in Bolton could walk out in protest against Education Secretary Ruth Kelly's controversial school reforms.

It would be a further embarrassment for the MP for Bolton West who has been under pressure on two fronts - the row over sex offenders in schools and the revolt by many Labour MPs over the Government's education White Paper.

Bolton's branch of the National Union of Teachers (NUT) will decide next week whether to ballot for strike action.

The NUT's motion will be put to trade union members at the local branch's annual meeting next Wednesday. Barry Conway, secretary of the Bolton branch of the NUT, said it would send a strong signal to Ms Kelly about the strength of feeling against her proposals to take schools out of the control of the local education authority and turn them into independent state schools run by outside bodies, such as charities or businesses

Schools would be allowed to set their own admission policies.

Mr Conway said: "Teachers are very concerned about the implications of the White Paper. It represents a serious attack on our members' national pay and conditions of service, and will lead to the break-up of the publicly-funded, democratically accountable, comprehensive system.

"The real needs of parents, pupils and school workers will become secondary to the interests of private individuals and businesses."

It is the second time, the Bolton branch of the NUT has taken the lead in opposing Government reforms. Members voted to take industrial action when the Government proposed increasing the retirement age of teachers from 60 to 65.

There are around 1,500 NUT members in the borough, more of half of the teachers working in Bolton.