TODAY we ask you to take a step back to that time which some readers might describe as the best time of their lives and others one of the worst - schooldays.

Imagine, if you will, what would have happened if you had been given the chance to write reports on your teachers.

What comments would you have made about, for example, the teacher who you knew was just going through the motions until retirement day? What would you have said about the one who kept picking on you for no reason?

The practice of allowing students to comment on the performance of their teachers is common in Sixth Form and further education colleges.

Now secondary school pupils may be given the chance to do the same, as part of a shake-up in how Ofsted carries out its inspections of school.

Some people may believe that asking pupils for their views is not the way to assess the quality of a teacher, but clearly schools can benefit from understanding how students honestly feel about their classroom experiences.

After all, who knows better what really goes on behind the closed door of the classroom? Who better to point the finger at a teacher who is simply not up to the job?

The fear that a handful of youngsters could use questionnaires to wage campaigns against unpopular teachers is an understandable fear. But inspectors should, of course, be able to sift such evidence - and use it to see the true picture of how a school operates.

No teacher, we're sure, would be so arrogant as to believe that secondary school pupils are unable to give a fair and balanced view of their performance. All good teachers will know that they can learn from their students, too.