GMTV Thursday AM (16th)

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GMTV will have a feature about EYFS and the effect it is having on childminding sometime during Thursday morning's programme. They will also be inviting people to email them with their comments once the piece has been shown.

I didn't have gmtv on this morning so didn't catch it. Can find no mention of it on their website. Was is on and what did they say?

me either

Damn, didn't know about this - too late now!

I watched it bt woke up later than normal so think i must hav missed it to!! must have been on bout 7:30 or earlier

I might be wrong but I think it could be on tomorrow as they changed the schedule due to Madonna's impending divorce.

It was indeed Madonna's divorce that bumped this story off the programme and for two days in succession, no less, but we are assured by the reporter involved that this story will definitely be broadcast on Friday morning (that is unless Madonna breaks a finger nail).

It is now scheduled to be shown at 6:20 and 7:40.

Thanks for info will drag myself out of bed and tune in

did anyone see it? what did they say>?

Nope I missed it!

It was shown at 6:20, but I think they dropped the later showing. We recorded it and I've briefly seen it, but I was in a rush so didn't fully take it in. They interviewed a few childminders who were anti and Liz Bayram of the NCMA who was, as usual, very pro (I wonder when was the last time she had to single-handedly cope with 3 or 4 children for less than £10k a year). They also interviewed a CM who has gone underground and who said she knew of a few others who were doing the same. Then they had Maria Miller (Con spokesperson), but no Beverley Hughes (Labour coward) who had definitely been invited. My wife (the CM) tells me that Maria Miller made some very good comments. I'll find out more when I watch it properly tonight.

Looks like GMTV are going to be doing a bit more on this topic because my wife got a call from a researcher asking if she was prepared to go to the studio tomorrow to be interviewed by Lorraine Kelly. She had to turn them down because of a) prior commitments to her families and b) the difficulty and expense of getting down to London at such short notice. She also pointed out that she would lose a day's pay to which the researcher said that they will pay an appearance fee.

My wife said that although she couldn't do the interview, she knew of another CM who had recently given up to go and work in a supermarket who may be prepared to do it instead, but she would have to speak to this person first. The researcher was going to ring back in about half an hour. My wife is still waiting.

Has anyone else been contacted?

This was on this morning!

Any good? Wonder if we can see it online?

Today's report was a much better effort all round. For a start, it was shown at a reasonably decent time (8:40 instead of 6:20) although that may still have clashed with drop offs and school runs etc, but at least it will have been seen by a lot more people. Then they had a CM being interviewed by Lorraine Kelly, who was very sympathetic, and who, at one point, said: "But that's just bonkers!".

The poor CM had only been in the job since September and was now finding herself doing paperwork late at night after her own children had gone to bed. She also pointed out that CMs are getting mixed messages from various sources and nobody really knows what is expected or required of them. She went on to say that the long hours were also causing problems with her husband who couldn't understand why she had to do so much extra work once her mindees had gone home.

Unfortunately, this report is not available on-line.