Tony Sewell facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
The Lord Sewell of Sanderstead
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Official portrait, 2024
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| Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal |
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| Assumed office 16 December 2022 Life peerage |
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| Chair of the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities | |
| In office July 2020 – 28 April 2021 |
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| Prime Minister | Boris Johnson |
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Cleveland Anthony Sewell
6 August 1959 Brixton, England |
| Political party | Conservative |
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| Occupation | Educational consultant |
Cleveland Anthony Sewell, Baron Sewell of Sanderstead is a British expert in education. He founded and chairs a charity called Generating Genius, which helps young people with their education. Since December 2022, Lord Sewell has been a member of the House of Lords, which is part of the UK Parliament. From July 2020 to April 2021, he led a group called the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities. This group looked into how different racial and ethnic groups are treated in the UK.
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Early Life and Education
Tony Sewell was born in Brixton, London, on August 6, 1959. He grew up in Penge, a part of London. His parents moved to the UK from Jamaica in the 1950s. As a child, Tony was a Scout and spent a lot of time in church youth groups.
In 1981, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature from the University of Essex. Later, in 1995, he received a PhD in education from the University of Nottingham. His PhD research focused on the connection between the culture of African-Caribbean boys and their schooling.
Career in Education
After finishing university, Tony Sewell worked as a schoolteacher in London. He then taught in Jamaica for two years.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, he wrote a weekly column for The Voice newspaper. He also hosted a weekly talk show on Choice FM radio.
After getting his doctorate in 1995, Sewell became a university lecturer. He taught at Kingston University and later at the University of Leeds.
In 2006, Tony Sewell shared his opinion that schools were not doing enough for boys. He felt that lessons had become too "feminised." Other education leaders disagreed, saying schools were working hard to help all students.
Sewell also worked as an international education consultant for the World Bank and the Commonwealth Secretariat. These organizations help countries around the world with development and education.
In 2012, the then Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, asked Sewell to lead an investigation into challenges faced by schools in London. This led to the government providing £26 million to help teachers improve their knowledge in different subjects.
In October 2015, Sewell became a member of the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales. This board works to improve the youth justice system.
Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities
In July 2020, Tony Sewell was chosen to lead a government commission. Its job was to study differences related to race and ethnicity in the UK.
The commission's report was published in March 2021. It stated that while racism exists in the UK, the country is not "institutionally racist." This means that racism is not built into the systems and rules of society. The report was praised by some, but others disagreed with its findings. Many people who study race, education, and health felt the report did not fully recognize the extent of racism in Britain.
In March 2022, the government published its official response to the report. It accepted all the recommendations made by Sewell's commission.
Becoming a Peer
On October 14, 2022, it was announced that Tony Sewell would become a life peer. This means he would become a member of the House of Lords for the rest of his life. On December 16, 2022, he officially became Baron Sewell of Sanderstead.
Awards and Recognition
Tony Sewell has received several honors for his work in education:
- In 2016, he was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his services to education.
- He has received honorary degrees from several universities, including the University of Exeter (2017), University of Essex (2019), and the University of Buckingham (2022).
- In 2018, he was named an Honorary Fellow of University College London.
- The University of Nottingham also gave him an honorary degree in 2019, but later withdrew it in 2022 due to public discussion.
