Filipino educator in UK honored by King Charles
A former public school teacher from Tarlac City has been honored as Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for his contribution to education in the United Kingdom, where he migrated 25 years ago.
Edison David, currently the executive headteacher of two London primary schools and a lead inspector for Ofsted, the UK national education inspection body, is among the community leaders being recognized by King Charles III in the 2025 New Year Honours List.
For David, the award “is not only for me—it is for every Filipino teacher working hard in schools, whether here or back home.”
“I hope it inspires more of us to dream big, lead with purpose, and raise the flag of the Philippines with pride,” he said in a statement on Tuesday.
The father of three is believed to be the first from the Philippines to be conferred the prestigious MBE for services to the UK education system. David now heads both Granton Primary School and Kings Avenue Primary School, and earlier Vauxhall Primary School also in London.
No room for mediocrity
A journalism graduate from the University of Santo Tomas (and at one time an Inquirer student correspondent for the Sports section), David worked for several years as a schoolteacher in Tarlac City before migrating to the UK in 2000 to pursue further opportunities in education.
He acknowledged that his rise to administrative and leadership positions in the UK was “quite rapid,” but not without hard work. By 2005, he was already an assistant headteacher and headteacher by 2010.
“Most of those positions were given to me because I worked really hard. I’m dedicated to what I do and I don’t [settle for] mediocrity in what I do. I make sure that when I start something, I always start at the point of excellence,” David said in an interview with the Inquirer.
“There is no point in doing something at the mediocre level because that would be wasting our time,” he added.
Part of David’s work includes serving as school improvement adviser who helps school leaders raise academic standards, particularly for disadvantaged students.
“I needed to make sure that I come up with strategies and implement [them] to ensure that we have better outcomes for these pupils,” he said.
In the UK, David explained, students are considered disadvantaged not only if they come from poor families but also if they have cognitive or physical disabilities, or are “looked-after children” in foster homes.
Holistic approach
Among David’s initiatives to help them overcome challenges is extending their school day so they can spend more time learning under closer supervision. In one of his schools, for example, disadvantaged students finish class at 4:15 p.m., an hour longer than the rest.
They are put into small groups of five to six pupils and are taught based on a given program. Some are placed under a reading program, others under mathematics, etc.
“Because there is evidence out there that by extending the school day, disadvantaged pupils are able to catch up,” he said. “But that is just one [approach.]”
David said he also wanted to see disadvantaged students achieving not just good grades but also personal development.
“For example, nondisadvantaged pupils have to pay for afterschool clubs, like a gymnastics club, music club, art club. What we do for disadvantaged pupils is we subsidize that. We pay for them so that they have that holistic approach,” he said.
The schools also provide training for parents so they could better support their children, he said.
“There’s no one strategy that will be a policy for all, because these are complex issues,” said David. “I meet with my senior leadership team every week or fortnight and we only talk about disadvantaged pupils.’’
