Many schools in Kent and Medway closed and various public and private services were disrupted due national strike action on Thursday.

KCC and Medway Council confirmed that 20 schools shut and dozens of others suffered partial closures due to industrial action by teachers over pay.

Some pupils attended classes, but whole year groups in some locations stayed at home.

Hundreds of college and university staff also went on strike to support their teaching colleagues and to protest over their own levels of pay.

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A picket line was set up at Canterbury College, with up to 30 University and College Union (UCU) members suspend time in the classroom over low wages and excessive paperwork.

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.

"The pupils know why we're here and they support us."

Driving examiners, college lecturers, coastguards, job centre staff and other civil servants also walked out across the country, along with passport workers, promting fears of disruption at the UK's airports and ports.

The union staged the 24hour walk out in a protest over their pay, affecting millions of school children across the UK.

The union claims this year’s Government offered pay rise of 2.45 per cent is unfair as it falls below the rate of inflation (4.1 per cent).

KCC Cabinet Member for Education Operations Mark Dance said: "The overriding duty of head teachers is to keep the school open and operating satisfactorily."

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Secretary for the Kent division of the National Union of Teachers, John Walder, said: “For three years, and probably for three years more, teachers have been paid below the rate of inflation and this means people are leaving the job and others are not applying fill the vacancies.

“This affects the number of teachers staying in their jobs and people applying to train. In particular, it means many children in Kent are being taught by teachers who have absolutely no training in that particular subjects, because there aren’t enough teachers to go round.”

Ten Government departments will also be affected by industrial action today, including the Department for Work and Pensions, Home Office, Transport Department, Driving Standards Agency and Land Registry.