Hans van Mourik Broekman

Hans van Mourik Broekman is the Principal of Liverpool College, a 4-19 heavily oversubscribed, state-funded, mixed ability, academy day and boarding school in the heart of Liverpool.

Hans is a native of the Netherlands. He attended high school in the USA and then gained his Master's Degree with Honours in Classics from the University of St Andrews in Scotland. Following teaching positions in the UK, Hans returned to the USA, where he served as a deputy headmaster, headmaster, and Principal in Washington DC, Arkansas, and Tennessee.

He was appointed the 17th Principal of Liverpool College in July 2007 and took up the appointment in June 2008. Since he arrived at the College, Hans has pursued an ambitious development program which has included major College-wide refurbishment and restructuring programs and the re-introduction of boarding at the school. In June 2012, Liverpool College announced that the Secretary of State for Education had accepted its submission to transition the College to Academy status (an academy is an independent school funded directly by the central government). This followed a comprehensive and strategic review of the future options for the development of Liverpool College, led by Hans and the governing body. The Times of London described this development as “the Berlin Wall in education coming down.”

Since conversion, the College has expanded its facilities and curriculum to cater to very substantial demand for places. From serving primarily wealthy citizens of Liverpool, the school now reflects in its student body every ethnic background, every advantage and disadvantage, every faith tradition, and every country of origin found in inner city Liverpool. The school was awarded an Outstanding rating in all areas by the National School Inspectorate in November 2019.

Hans is committed to improving social mobility and life chances and creating a culture of learning that ensures that every young person has the potential to excel regardless of their background or any disadvantage. He is the author of three books that seek to inspire educators, parents, and students to explore their deepest desires for what a school could and should be.

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