Jan Newton, OBE is the adviser for citizenship at the Department for Education and Skills. She was formerly chief executive at the Citizenship Foundation, a non-governmental organisation promoting and supporting citizenship education. She was a teacher, and has been involved in citizenship education in the UK and beyond.

She was a member of the advisory group on Education for Citizenship and the Teaching of Democracy in Schools chaired by Professor Sir Bernard Crick. She is co-author of primary school materials on social and moral education, co-editor of secondary school materials on understanding citizenship and has contributed to human rights publications for schools.