Guest Swimming Coach: Liam Bourke

Pembroke House School is delighted to welcome Liam Bourke as a guest swimming coach this January. Liam will be visiting the school for 10 days to support and elevate our swimming programme, working with pupils of all ages and abilities.

Liam brings with him over 15 years of experience in swim teaching and coaching, and is currently Head of Swimming at Bishopsgate School in Surrey, UK, a role he has held for the past 11 years. During this time, he has led a comprehensive swimming programme for over 430 pupils aged 3–13, alongside coaching a performance squad of 112 competitive swimmers.

His coaching career has been marked by outstanding success at both school and national level. Notable achievements include:

• IAPS National Champions and Record Holders (U10 Girls)
• 2022: English Schools National Championships – 3rd Place
• 2023: English Schools National Championships – 1st Place, and awarded Best Medium-Sized Swim School in the UK
• 2024: Coaching an 8-pupil relay team (ages 12–13) to successfully swim the English Channel (45km in 10 hours 21 minutes)
• 2025: IAPS National Championships – 14 individual finalists, 25 medals, and multiple new national records

Alongside his coaching work, Liam is an accomplished endurance athlete. A former county-level swimmer, he competes regularly in swim-run and open-water events. His achievements include completing the Henley to Marlow Thames Marathon Swim (14km) in four hours and placing in the top three for three consecutive years in the Bournemouth to Boscombe sea swim. He is also a keen marathon runner, recently achieving a sub-three-hour finish at the Amsterdam Marathon in October 2025.

Liam’s professional background began at Frogs & Friends Swim School, where he progressed from lifeguard to pool manager over a decade. He is a fully qualified swim teacher, personal trainer, and fitness instructor, with experience delivering school clubs, adult coaching, fitness boot camps, and online training programmes.

In addition to his in-pool work, Liam is a growing voice in the digital coaching space, sharing swimming and fitness content with a wide online audience. Over the past six months, he has built a community of more than 12,000 followers across Instagram and TikTok (Swim With Liam). He has recently been appointed Swim Expert for Zoggs Kids and is a swim ambassador for Zoggs UK, the country’s leading learn-to-swim brand.

During his time at Pembroke House, Liam will work with every child in the school, delivering engaging, technical, and inspiring swimming sessions. He hopes not only to develop pupils’ skills and confidence in the water, but also to motivate them through his passion for sport, discipline, and personal challenge.