ASTRONOMER Royal Professor Martin Rees will give a lecture at East Barnet School this week as part of a Government initiative to inspire the nation's youth.

The Speakers for Schools initiative kicked off this week, with the Barnet visit just one of a series of talks in state secondary schools around England.

Professor Rees, who was President of the Royal Society, and is now Master of Trinity College Cambridge, will give a lecture to an invited audience at East Barnet School on Thursday, October 13, at 4pm.

This will be followed by a reception in the school’s Faraday Space.

Assistant Headteacher Hugh Seckleman said: "We feel very honoured to have such an important figure from the world of science to come and address our students, and know that this will be an inspiring experience."

"This talk is just the first of a series of lectures by leading figures from the world of science that will take place this academic year as part of our work as one of only six Science Demonstration Schools in the country."

The school will also host lectures later in the year by Professor Ann Dowling, the first female Head of Engineering at Cambridge University and Professor Alec Jeffreys, the inventor of DNA fingerprinting.

Head teacher Nick Christou said: “Here at East Barnet we aim to inspire our students to want to learn Science, and what better way is there to do this than have the greatest scientific minds share their enthusiasm with us in our school."

"In a way we are bridging the gap between school and university, and in this case, we are reaching for the stars.”