Baroness Bousted: 'It's Difficult For Education To Compete With Trolleys In Hospital Corridors'
Bousted told PoliticsHome that oversized classes "don't make headlines in the way health does"
5 min read
It is "very hard" for education ministers to compete with the health department for Treasury funding, according to Labour peer Baroness Bousted, former head of the National Education Union.
In her first sit-down interview since joining the House of Lords, Bousted told PoliticsHome that oversized classes "don't make headlines in the way health does".
In 2023, Bousted left her role as the joint general secretary of the NEU, the largest education union in Europe, after leading teachers on seven days of national strike action that year and winning a 6.5 per cent pay rise for her members.
She was nominated for a Labour peerage in 2024, and since then has been flying somewhat under the radar.
"I don't think anyone can prepare you for being made a peer and coming into the House of Lords, and for the first few weeks, it's quite daunting," she said.
Bousted's role as a peer is certainly far removed from her previous title as a union chief, but schools are still a huge interest to her.
She was pleased to see a £2.3bn boost in school funding in the Autumn Budget last year. She admits, however, that when it comes to the question of funding, she would probably have been arguing "somewhat differently" in her previous role, whereas now, as a parliamentarian, she recognises that "we can't just print money".
Bousted has also felt for some time "that it is very hard for education ministers to compete with health", with the latter taking up "the lion's share of public spending".
School budgets have been increasingly squeezed in recent years as the sector faces rising costs alongside a fall in real terms funding.
Analysis published by the Institute for Fiscal Studies think tank in 2021 found that health spending had increased by 42 per cent since 2010, while education spending rose by just 3 per cent.
"It's very difficult for education to compete with trolleys in hospital corridors. Classes of 32 children rather than 30 children don't make the newspaper headlines in the way that health does.
"Of course, I believe in extra health spending, but education has been a poor relation in comparison with health."
Another job in the in-tray of Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson will be the reform of the watchdog Ofsted — the government body responsible for inspecting schools in England.
Last year, Ofsted announced that it would scrap single-word school inspection grades after school leaders warned the current regime posed a "risk to life".
A coroner ruled in 2023 that an Ofsted inspection had contributed to the death of the headteacher, Ruth Perry, who took her own life after receiving the lowest Ofsted rating.
While Bousted was positive about some of the changes made by the inspectorate so far, she was sceptical about Ofsted's ability to deliver a system that works, telling PoliticsHome: "There are fundamental problems which remain with Ofsted."
The Labour peer also questioned whether Ofsted has the resources to carry out all its functions.
Asked if the DfE should intervene if Ofsted does not deliver on its reforms, Bousted said: "I don't think that Ofsted should be under the control of the DfE, but the DfE should have some governance control over Ofsted."
Bousted said that ministers should "have the right to have a view about whether Ofsted's function is appropriate and whether its inspection framework is appropriate to achieve their objectives in terms of education provision and education quality".
"I don't think that there should be a direct line, but there certainly should be a reporting line which gives responsibility of Ofsted's outcomes to the DfE."
Another challenge in the education space inherited by the Labour government is the severe pressure facing the special education needs and disabilities (SEND) system.
The number of pupils with additional education needs in England has risen by 36 per cent in the last eight years to more than 1.6m. At the same time, cash-strapped local authorities are struggling to meet the growing demand for SEND services.
Earlier this month, Reform UK won control of 10 councils across the country, with the party pledging to make Elon Musk DOGE-style cuts to get rid of waste.
Reform's leader, Nigel Farage, recently sparked controversy when he implied that children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) were being overdiagnosed.
Bousted told PoliticsHome she was concerned that Reform might seek to target SEND budgets as part of its cost-cutting drive. Like "all populist parties", Farage's party is keen to think there are "simple and clear answers to complex problems", she said.
However, she believes that ultimately, Farage would not be as "stupid" as to go after those services.
"No, I'm not too concerned about that at the moment, because the vast majority of Reform councillors have got no experience... and it's very difficult for any party to take as part of a campaign action against the most vulnerable and needy children in our society.
"I don't even think that Reform would be that stupid," she said.
Bousted said she had despaired over recent briefings against Phillipson, the Education Secretary, describing her as much better than her recent predecessors, adding that it raises the question of whether there is a problem of misogyny within government.
"It is completely wrong," she said.
"Why do these people who are briefing think that it helps the Labour government to be speaking against a woman who grew up in a single parent household in poverty, went to Oxford, has become Secretary of State for Education, and it leads me to ask the question, well, you know, why is it the women who are getting briefed against."
