Internationally renowned philosopher of religion, Dr Peter Vardy, spent the day at Loreto recently. Our Theology students were lucky enough to have a full day conference covering topics ranging from Ethics, the relationship between religion and science, the Problem of Evil and New Atheism. He also explained the shared historical philosophical traditions of Christianity and Islam.  Dr Vardy, who is the author of numerous books and delivers lectures internationally, fascinated students with his charismatic style and encyclopaedic knowledge.

It was a fabulous opportunity for our students to revise what they had already learned but also to develop their knowledge and understanding at a much higher level. Dr Vardy stayed and chatted with students at the end of the day and was very impressed by their maturity and insight, and they clearly enjoyed having the chance to speak to a real expert in his field.

We recently had the pleasure of hosting Dr Greg Barker for a Theology revision conference. Greg is a published author, works closely with our examination board and is a fellow of the University of Winchester.

Greg is a highly engaging speaker, at times hilariously funny but always practical when it comes to succeeding in the exam. He focused the conference on how to achieve the best grades, paying particular attention to the skills of analysis and evaluation.

Students left feeling motivated and equipped with a whole range of tips, ideas and insights into our subject.

One student commented, ‘Greg Barker was really engaging and if a question on that topic came up I would feel really confident in the exam. The techniques he explained and how to approach the subject as a whole were really good!’ while another said, ‘I found the conference very helpful and I enjoyed the fact that it was quite active. He gave some useful tips and I will definitely be putting some to practice.’