A popular pre-school and childcare service in Falmouth has been awarded a 'Good' overall rating from Ofsted.

Tarq's Arq, which is located in Albany Place, was granted the rating following an inspection on May 14.

It offers full day care and educational services to children aged 0 to 14, accommodating up to 137 children.

Inspectors found "all children feel safe and included" and that "babies love learning everyone's names and they feel at home".

The approach to fostering social interaction and building a sense of belonging at the pre-school is beautifully manifested, as children are greeted collectively with "hello friends" when arriving and bid farewell with waving hands when leaving.

Emphasising the importance of physical development, inspectors highlighted that the pre-school follows the children’s interests, offering tailored levels of challenge.

This includes giving opportunities for toddlers and pre-school-aged children to learn to ride bicycles of different types, progressing at their own pace, and encouraging babies to develop their strength by climbing ramps and crawling through tunnels.

Tarq's Arq also arranges visits to the local community centre to broaden children's knowledge of their locality.

The children's interactions with the community include singing songs to visitors.

They also learn about road safety when they are out and about.

(Image: Google Street View)

However, inspectors advised that "staff should support toddlers to become more independent, to better prepare them for their next stage of learning" and added that staff at Tarq's Arq need to "share children's next steps of learning with parents to further support their learning and development outside of the setting".

Staff at Tarq's Arq have been praised for their efforts in teaching pre-school aged children about mathematical concepts effectively, developing resilience amongst the children, and providing the necessary support to children with special needs.

Despite the recommendations for improvement, parents of children at Tarq's Arq spoke highly of the secure relationships their children had formed with both staff and friends in the pre-school.

They value the experiences that their children get, such as visits to the park, library, or watching aeroplanes take off from a nearby airbase.

Inspectors also confirmed that there is an open and encouraging culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first.

The pre-school has adhered to all its statutory obligations and provided an educational environment conducive to the learning and development of children.

For further information about the Oftsed inspection of Tarq's Arq, the full report is available at files.ofsted.gov.uk/v1/file/50248281.