Studying, partying and dating - the everyday antics of students living away from home for the very first time. At the National Star College in Gloucestershire, the thrills and spills of college life are little different, except that all the students have complex disabilities.

In this groundbreaking series of three uplifting and searingly honest programmes, we delve into the heartache of first love, the intimacy of close friendship, the inspiration of young people overcoming the odds and the high-stakes drama of life outside the college.

Every September, 170 students from around the UK begin a new year of study at National Star. Many live on campus for three years and revel in the specialist teaching, state-of-the-art facilities, end-of-term balls, and more than anything, the freedom of a new life. Working with a wide range of disabilities, staff and students are devoted to a single mission: unlocking the potential in everyone and gaining the skills to get the best out of their adult lives. Through this powerful series of films we witness the resilience, energy and humour of a stand-out cast of wonderful young characters.

Every September, 170 students from around the UK begin a new year of study at National Star. Many live on campus for three years and revel in the specialist teaching, state-of-the-art facilities, end-of-term balls, and more than anything, the freedom of a new life.

For these students their time at college is a time for firsts: whether that is their first time crossing the road or their first time playing spin-the-bottle. In the second part of this uplifting series we meet the excitable new freshers embarking on their first taste of freedom, including 20 year-old Dan, who has cerebral palsy and dreams of being a DJ.

We’re also introduced to the Overton Gang, a noisy, fun-loving bunch of friends who are the most independent students at college. This group includes the college ‘hottie’ Nicki, who wasn’t born with a disability: at 17 she incurred a brain injury after she drove into a tree on her way to her college prom. Nicki now enjoys her new life at Overton House where the group get up to the usual student high jinx of vodka shots and truth-or-dare. They grow up fast, which can make trips home emotive - as we witness when one of the gang, Josh, opens up to his mum when remembering his teenage life.

National Star prepares all its students for a more independent life after college. The final episode of this ground-breaking series follows three of the most independent students into the outside world, on the hunt for the one thing they most want in life: Lewis wants a new voice, Morgan wants a job and Sasha wants a home.

We meet the charismatic Lewis among a room of students watching the World Cup, and much like the others, he is yelling at the TV screen, but does so with an electronic voice through his communicator. Lewis, who hails from Newcastle, is fed up with his voice and embarks on a personal mission to find a Geordie accent for his communication device, with the help of his friend Rob.

Meanwhile, Morgan has been overcoming his speech impediment and won’t let it hold him back in his search for gainful employment. For Sasha, the one thing she doesn’t want to do after college is return home to live with mum and dad, as we follow her struggle to move into suitable housing.

In the last of these searingly honest films, we witness the hope, resilience and humour of a stand-out cast of young people and their families, overcoming the odds and the high-stakes drama of life on the outside.