It found that 'on the whole' the maintained sector offered the highest quality provision for children aged up to three-and-a-half.
The study set out to examine the quality of care for children aged three-and-a-half because less is known about provision for very young children.
Observations took place in infant and toddler rooms in 103 settings between February 2004 and July 2005. Quality varied widely, with 70 per cent of rooms observed rated adequate, 23 per cent good and 7 per cent 'less than minimal' quality.
The report said, 'The private sector had the lowest mean quality rating, but also displayed the broadest variation in quality, with some centres operating at a very high standard.'
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