Nurseries opened in empty classrooms under a government programme are less likely to be in more deprived schools than pre-existing provision, despite an aim to widen access in poorer areas. The school-based nurseries capital programme allows primary schools to bid for funding to repurpose disused space into early years provision. A report examining the programme, based on research by the Sutton Trust and the Social Market Foundation, was published today. It found the nurseries were around a third less likely to be in schools serving disadvantaged areas compared to pre-existing nurseries. This is despite the second phase of the project aiming to target those disadvantaged communities. Carl Cullinane, director of research and policy at the Sutton Trust, said the programme was “now facing a reality check”, and that “there’s still a mountain to climb in creating new places, and targeting them in the right areas”. He added that the government needed to provide more financial support and guidance to schools. The scheme also needs to be “far better targeted where it can make the most …