David Charles Pearson"David Charles Pearson", The London Gazette, 31 December 2020 (issue no. 63218), notice ID 3703134. Retrieved 21 January 2021. was born in Gravesend, Kent. His father was a bank manager. He attended a nearby grammar school, where he was head boy and played cricket and rugby.Drew Cole, "Profile: A Social Worker Who Counts", ADASS Futures Online, vol. 2, no. 1 (Association of Directors of Adult Social Services, April 2014), pp. 1–5. He left with A-Levels in English and History. He credits the experiences of caring for his mentally grandmother as spurring him on to work with disadvantaged people. After finishing school, he spent a year as a community service volunteer at an intermediate treatment centre for young offenders in Corby, Northamptonshire. In 1978 took up a place to study applied social studies at Nottingham Trent Polytechnic (now Nottingham Trent University or NTU), graduating in 1982 with a BA."NTU Alumni Recognised in the 2021 New Year Honours List", Nottingham Trent University, 18 January 2021. Retrieved 21 January 2021."NTU Alumni Recognised in Queen's Birthday Honours", Nottingham Trent University, 7 July 2016. Retrieved 21 January 2021. The course also involved completing the Certificate of Qualification in Social Work. He completed a diploma in public services management in 1997 and an MSc in the same subject at NTU in 2004.
