David taught and led religious education in schools for ten years before moving into higher education. He has taught across a range of programmes in initial teacher education and education studies, initially at King's College London, then Oxford Brookes University. He is currently Professor of Education and Philosophy and Head of Department of Secondary and Further Education at Edge Hill University. Prior to that he was Director of Research in the Department of Education at Brunel University London. He is joint editor-in-chief of the British Educational Research Journal and Assistant Editor of the Journal of Philosophy of Education. He co-edits the Routledge Literature and Education book series.