This Department of Education report looks at childcare and early years provision among providers caring for children aged 0-4 with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, and those working in deprived areas.
It found that school-based providers (SBPs) were more likely than group-based providers (GBPs) or childminders (CMs) to be operating in deprived areas.
SBPs in deprived areas were more likely to offer additional specialist services such as family support or services for children, though were less likely to offer before/ after school care for school-aged children.
GBPs in the deprived areas were more likely to offer a range of care packages (e.g. sessional care), with qualitative findings indicating that providers flexed their offer to meet the needs of their locality.
Overall, around three-fifths (58%) of early years providers were caring for at least one child with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), with the incidence higher for providers in deprived areas (64%) than non-deprived areas (54%). The incidence of caring for at least one child with SEND was much higher for SBPs (85% of all settings) and GBPs (88%) compared with CMs (25%).