Term of trial for parents.MY WIFE went back to work after a year's maternity leave this month and, as you can imagine, wasn't really looking forward to it. ...

Term of trial for parentsMY WIFE went back to work after a year's maternity leave this month and, as you can imagine, wasn't really looking forward to it. Quite apart from having to commute into London again it meant that we'd have to find a place for our daughter. We spent ages looking at nurseries, meeting childminders and quizzing friends who'd already been through the process.Eventually we opted for a great little nursery and it was my job to drop her off on her first day. Anyone who's had to take a child to nursery or school for the first time will know my pain. The moment I handed her over she screamed. Then she screamed a bit more. Then as I was putting my shoes on outside the baby room (you have to take your shoes off to go inside) someone opened the door and all I could hear was Libby crying. This was going brilliantly. Thankfully, when I phoned a bit later in the day (about 18 minutes to be exact) she had settled down, but I'll never forget it.I can only imagine that choosing the right school must be even harder. You get one go at a child's education and you have to get it right. Thankfully there's a whole raft of league tables, Ofsted reports and local authority rules to help you along the way (or not) as well as the difference between state and independent schools. Of course, not all parents want to or can send their children to private schools but that's a debate for another time. In this issue we have a guide to what we think are the best independent schools in the county and the reasons why. Turn to page 86 for the full list.We also have all of your favourite pages and writers in this issue, including a special feature on Arundel Castle and its role in the movie The Young Victoria, beautiful pictures of the county beginning on page 36 and great ideas for the home starting on page 138.As always we're keen to hear from you and receive your thoughts on this issue as well as things that you would like to see in further magazines. You can email me at feedback@sussexlife.co.uk. We look forward to meeting you.

Enjoy your Sussex Life. Jonathan KeebleEditorjonathan.keeble@sussexlife.co.uk