Ed Balls (Labour Secretary of State for Schools 2009-10) according to Wikipedia was "from 1989 to 1990 a teaching fellow in the Department of Economics, Harvard University". So a modicum of teaching experience at least.
[Alan Johnson]
There's Ruth Kelly - "taught at University of Navarra, after she joined the Labour Party in 1990" [Wikipedia again] - Labour SoS for Education 2004-06.
Charles Clarke wasn't a teacher but was President (I think) of the NUS which would clearly give him some insight in to Higher Education. 2002-2004
Estelle Morris - "Morris was a PE and Humanities teacher at the inner-city Sidney Stringer School on Cox Street in Coventry from 1974–92, becoming Head of Sixth Form Studies" [ibid] - Labour SoS for Education 2001-2002. She was apparently the first Comprehensive school teacher to hold the post.
Before that:
Blunket had a PGCE and was "a lecturer in industrial relations and politics between 1973 and 1981". Labour SoS for Education 1997-2001.
Gillian Shepherd "gain[ed] an MA [Oxon] in Modern Languages, after which she became a school teacher and a worked as an Education Inspector for Norfolk County Council from 1963 to 1975". Conservative SoS for Education 1994-97.
tl;dr the majority of SoS for Education in the last two decades have teaching experience of some form. Moreso than I expected TBH. Would appreciate it if someone else considered the SoS for Health postings.
You were probably thinking of a high-school teacher (?) but ...
[via http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secretary_of_State_for_Educatio... though I remember quite a few, especially as my parents and in-laws were all teachers]
[Michael Gove]
Ed Balls (Labour Secretary of State for Schools 2009-10) according to Wikipedia was "from 1989 to 1990 a teaching fellow in the Department of Economics, Harvard University". So a modicum of teaching experience at least.
[Alan Johnson]
There's Ruth Kelly - "taught at University of Navarra, after she joined the Labour Party in 1990" [Wikipedia again] - Labour SoS for Education 2004-06.
Charles Clarke wasn't a teacher but was President (I think) of the NUS which would clearly give him some insight in to Higher Education. 2002-2004
Estelle Morris - "Morris was a PE and Humanities teacher at the inner-city Sidney Stringer School on Cox Street in Coventry from 1974–92, becoming Head of Sixth Form Studies" [ibid] - Labour SoS for Education 2001-2002. She was apparently the first Comprehensive school teacher to hold the post.
Before that:
Blunket had a PGCE and was "a lecturer in industrial relations and politics between 1973 and 1981". Labour SoS for Education 1997-2001.
Gillian Shepherd "gain[ed] an MA [Oxon] in Modern Languages, after which she became a school teacher and a worked as an Education Inspector for Norfolk County Council from 1963 to 1975". Conservative SoS for Education 1994-97.
tl;dr the majority of SoS for Education in the last two decades have teaching experience of some form. Moreso than I expected TBH. Would appreciate it if someone else considered the SoS for Health postings.