College lecturers joined teachers in a one day strike today.

Thirty members of the University and College Union (UCU) at Canterbury College walked out in a dispute over fairer pay.

Several schools have been forced to close because of the National Union of Teachers strike.

UCU branch co-ordinator Simon Marchant said: "As college staff we get about 15 per cent less than our colleagues in schools.

"We will launching an official campaign next year but today is about letting people know."

Some UCU members joined colleagues from across the country at a rally in central London.

Schools that are closed today because of the NUT strike are Chaucer Technology School, Canterbury; Adisham primary; St Stephen’s Junior School, Canterbury; St Joseph's primary, Aylesham; Cartwright and Kelsey, Ash; and Joy Lane primary, Whitstable.

Other schools have introduced contingency plans to cope with the loss of NUT members.

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It is the first national teachers strike in 21 years. The dispute is over performance related pay.

At Chaucer Technology School 75 per cent of the school’s 89 teachers are on strike.

Head teacher Simon Murphy said: “We had no option but to close from a health and safety viewpoint.”

John Walder, NUT divisional secretary with 7,000 members under his control, said: “We have been asking teachers to support union action to highlight the problems of teachers’ pay.

“We are looking at three years of decline.”