Thousands of pupils remained at home as 15 primaries, eight high schools and two pupil referral units had to close their doors.

Almost 100 other schools were partially closed by the industrial action, being taken by members of the National Union of Teachers.

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The strike action was part of the first national teachers' strike in 21 years which affected up to 8,000 schools across the country.

Patrick Murphy, Leeds branch secretary of the NUT, said his union was committed to raising teachers' salaries after years of below-inflation pay rises.

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"We are never happy to close schools, but our members cannot take industrial action without effecting children's education," he said. "Over the long term, we hope the strike will have a beneficial effect on education.

"At the moment, 50 per cent of all new teachers leave the profession in the first three years. If we can improve pay, we will retain the best teachers and attract the best graduates into the profession.

"There hasn't been a national teachers strike in 21 years. We have not taken this industrial action lightly, and we are not ruling out further action. "We will have to assess what has happened today and the Government's response to the industrial action."

The Government has maintained that a three-year pay deal of 2.45 per cent from September and rises of 2.3 per cent in subsequent years will not be improved.

Speaking yesterday, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said the teachers' strike was "very regrettable". He added: "Even the chairman of the pay review body has said this is an independent award, independently adjudicated, one that the teachers should be prepared to accept. I hope that after reflection the teachers will reconsider the action that they are going to take in the future on this matter."

The British Chambers of Commerce has warned the strike could cost businesses up to £68 million in lost working hours because parents will have to take time off work or pay for extra childcare.

Nationally, the country was today facing the most wide ranging series of strikes in a decade as up to 400,000 teachers, college lecturers, job centre workers, coastguards, driving examiners and other civil servants prepared to walkout in separate disputes over pay.

Some of the strikes started at 7pm last night and will continue throughout today, with civil servants joining teachers and college lecturers at rallies across the country.