The Garden Pre-School

Vegetable soup, storybook voting and garden balancing challenges gave The Garden Pre-School's May 2024 inspection a practical, hands-on character. At its 15 May 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the provision Good. The strongest examples linked ordinary activities with several kinds of learning: preparing food involved conversation and careful hand movements, while exploring insects prompted counting and new vocabulary.

The setting has 28 places in total and is based at Emmanuel Baptist Church, Western Terrace, Falmouth. Children attending in May 2024 were aged two to four. That age range describes the children at that time.

In May 2024, the pre-school used two rooms beside the Baptist Church Hall. Its required framework was the early years foundation stage, covering children's learning, development and care; practical activities brought those elements together.

Soup-making was a good example. Preschool children selected vegetables, practised peeling and cutting with safety knives, then drew or wrote recipes. Conversations about the ingredients' origins added another layer to the activity. Children also voted for a story before lunch, giving them a concrete experience of making a collective choice.

Outside in May 2024, children arranged planks to create a route across the garden, balancing as they took turns. Toddlers used a small climbing frame to practise pulling themselves up and moving between its rails. Bug-hunting with magnifying glasses led to counting, looking for an insect book and discussing camouflage. Physical exploration and conversation worked together.

Early writing received direct attention too: staff demonstrated pen grip and accurate drawing. However, nearby activities sometimes interrupted preschool children's concentration, limiting how far that learning developed.

At the May 2024 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and identified effective SEND support, including visual choices that helped children communicate their next activity and understand routines. This gives families a concrete example of how support worked, rather than a general promise of inclusion.

Relationships also involved small opportunities for children to exercise choice in May 2024. Toddlers could decide whether their artwork carried their name. The lending library connected home and pre-school: children borrowed stories, parents recorded what interested them, and staff discussed the books when they returned. That created a shared starting point for conversation.

The address is Emmanuel Baptist Church, Western Terrace, Falmouth, TR11 4QJ. In May 2024, opening hours ran from 8.30am to 3pm on weekdays during term time. These describe the opening window at that date.

The pre-school received funding for free early education for two-, three- and four-year-olds in May 2024. That establishes its participation at the time, rather than an individual child's entitlement or a particular funded attendance arrangement.

• Understanding instructions. In May 2024, staff sometimes asked preschool children to stop an activity without explaining the reason. Clearer explanations were an improvement priority, relevant to children learning boundaries and managing their own safety.
• Concentration during group learning. Distractions from other children affected adult-led writing activities in May 2024. Families should weigh this alongside the engaging practical learning examples.
• Term-time fit. The May 2024 opening pattern followed term time. During a visit, which current attendance arrangements would fit your family's week?

The Garden Pre-School suits families drawn to practical early learning, children's choices and shared reading. Its May 2024 examples show how cooking, outdoor challenges and books could generate purposeful conversation. The balance is clear: engaging activities sat alongside a need for better explanations of rules and fewer distractions during directed learning.