“Serious gaps” in access to childcare for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and those from poorer families have been highlighted in a major sector survey.
Only 44% of local authorities in England report enough places for most early years children with SEND, according to the Childcare Survey 2026, by Coram Family and Childcare. In relation to wraparound care for school-aged children with SEND, the rate falls to 23%.
Lack of capacity is a particular problem in inner London, where just 9% of councils reported having sufficient early years places for children with SEND.
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Analysis: Funded childcare expansion – how disadvantaged families benefit least from expansion
The survey finds that the 30-hour funded childcare entitlement – fully rolled out in September 2025 to eligible families with children from nine months old to the age of four – has sharply reduced costs for eligible working families with children under two.
A part-time (25-hour) place is now theoretically free during term time, while the cost of a full-time (50-hour) place has fallen by 39% compared with 2025, the report states. Part-time childcare fees had nearly tripled between 2001 and 2024.
By contrast, those who are not eligible – because they do not earn enough or do not meet other criteria – face average costs of £189 per week for a part-time nursery place for a child under two in England.
Outside England, costs continue to rise. A part-time nursery place now averages £133.08 per week in Scotland, up 5% on 2025, and £166.33 in Wales, an 8% increase. Costs for three to four-year-olds have also increased across Britain.
Lydia Hodges, head of Coram Family and Childcare, said: “Whilst there are complexities and caveats around the entitlement, it is undoubtedly a welcome support for working families.
“However, our analysis also highlights the divide between those eligible and those who are not.
“The cost of childcare will likely be out of reach for disadvantaged children, and there are still serious gaps for children with SEND.
“All children deserve the opportunity to grow and develop in a nurturing environment, and disadvantaged children should not have to wait or receive half measures.”
Cllr Amanda Hopgood, chair of the Local Government Association’s Children, Young People and Families Committee, called for an entitlement review to ensure those on lower incomes “do not miss out”.
She added: “The entitlements should also be extended to parents and carers who are studying and/or in training, and foster carers and kinship carers, regardless of work or training status.
“It is vital the government addresses these concerns as part of its review of early education and childcare entitlements funding.”
Sector bodies Early Years Alliance and National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) echoed Coram’s concerns.
Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Alliance, said: “While the expansion of entitlements has had a significant impact on costs for families who are eligible, these schemes are in fact widening the gap between children from the most disadvantaged backgrounds and their peers.”
NDNA chief executive Tim McLachlan said: “Costs have plummeted across England following government investment, but children from low-income families and those with additional needs remain underserved.”
Source: CYPNow
