Skip to content Exit mobile menu

First Star Academy at St Mary’s University

"Yes you belong in college, look around you! You are already here!"Peter Samuelson, President and Co-founder, First Star

What is First Star?

First Star was originally set up in the USA by film producer Peter Samuelson to address the education outcomes of young people in foster care, where only 3% of care leavers attend university.

Inspired by research by Dr Kathleen Reardon, First Star’s approach is to place young people who are in care into academies on university campuses to support, inspire, and belong. Over 90% of foster youth who attend First Star academies in the USA go on to study at university, compared to the national average of 3%. The First Star Academy at St Mary’s University was the first in the UK.

First Star St Mary’s

There are many reasons why St Mary’s was chosen to run the inaugural First Star Academy outside of the USA. One of these reasons is that we value:

  • inclusiveness
  • generosity of spirit
  • respect
  • excellence.

With a successful pilot starting in 2017, St Mary’s has delivered the full First Star programme, incorporating both academic content and life skills development, to two cohorts of students. Starting at the age of 14, each summer for four years First Star students at St Mary’s took part in a four-week summer residential academy at our main campus, living in halls of residence and immersing themselves in university life. These residentials were supplemented by monthly Saturday academies throughout the rest of the year, so the young people were supported through the whole cycle of GCSEs, BTECs, and A-level up to the age of 18.

The Results

The results were excellent. 41% of graduates from the St Mary’s First Star programme progressed to university, which is not only more than 3 times higher than the national average for care leavers, but graduates of the programme also outperformed the expected outcomes for the general school leavers population, where 34% progress to university at age 18. 

A further 14% of the St Mary’s First Star students went on to study at a further education institution, so 55% of graduates from the first cohort of the programme continued their educational journeys beyond 18, whilst others took gap years, started apprenticeships, and went into work.

The second cohort of First Star students, who started at the age of 14 in 2019, also saw their outcomes improve, as they outperformed the wider school population achieving an 89% pass rate in their GCSEs in 2021, compared to 77% for non-looked after young people.

Further information on First Star

For more background and the latest information on First Star programmes in the UK, visit the First Star Scholars UK website.