Jan Newton, who passed away at the age of 74, was a leading figure in citizenship education in the UK for over 25 years. Her passion was to help young people become engaged citizens by equipping them with the necessary knowledge, skills, and motivation. Jan’s involvement began with the Citizenship Foundation, established in 1989 with support from the Law Society to educate and empower youth. She was invited to join as a trustee and subsequently became full-time co-director with Don Rowe, later assuming the role of chief executive while Rowe and Tony Thorpe focused on expanding the foundation’s educational initiatives.

Jan was the daughter of Philip, a sales representative, and Doris Huxley. Born in east London, Jan grew up in Acton, west London, with a modest upbringing and a Roman Catholic background. Upon completing her education at Godolphin and Latymer school, Jan traveled on an English-Speaking Union tour of Canada before commencing her studies in philosophy, politics, and economics at St. Hugh’s College, Oxford, under Mary Warnock, her moral tutor.

Since an early age, Jan had been fascinated with the history and practice of politics, and she joined the University Conservative Association, where she met Tony Newton, a rising star from the Conservative Central Office. Sharing a One Nation Toryism, they married in 1962 after her graduation. Jan’s dedication to driving social change was unwavering, and it informed all her subsequent endeavours.

After Tony’s election as Conservative MP for Braintree in 1973, Jan became a sociology teacher at Tabor comprehensive school and later at New Hall, Chelmsford, an independent Catholic girls’ school that still competes for the Jan Newton debating cup.

Notably, the public was increasingly disengaging from politics, as demonstrated by declining electoral registration and participation in civic affairs; citizenship education at the time was not a fashionable issue and was largely ignored. However, Jan astutely believed that advocating for formal citizenship education in schools required bipartisan support, in addition to courting prominent figures in law, academia, schools, and politics.

By 1997, when Tony Blair came to power, Jan had been appointed vice-chair of the working group on citizenship education established by David Blunkett, Secretary of State for Education and Employment, and chaired by Professor Bernard Crick. The group was tasked with assessing the state of citizenship education. Citizenship education was finally included in the national curriculum in 2002, primarily due to Blunkett’s persistent efforts, and Jan received an OBE for her contribution to the cause. The focus then shifted to the best way to implement citizenship education.

Although hindered by the constant rotation of education secretaries that fragmented departmental attention to the matter, Jan persisted as a special adviser until leaving Whitehall in 2007. She continued to work in the field and succeeded Crick as president of the Association for Citizenship Teaching the following year.

Jan’s capacity to help others was inspired by a simple philosophy: "I just want to help." She lived by this code and helped countless people throughout her life.

Jan was diagnosed with meningioma, a condition that caused acute facial pain, which she stoically endured, followed by a debilitating stroke in2011. She is survived by two daughters, Polly and Jessica, from her first marriage, and four grandchildren: Lucy, Daniel, Josh, and Felix.