Culcheth High School headteacher Chris Hunt has been speaking to Mix 56 on its Meet the Head feature, and for once the education chat was not just the usual brochure-speak about values, vision and shiny corridors.
Talking with Phil Roberts, Hunt gave a clear picture of how he runs the school, and it sounds very hands-on. He is apparently out greeting pupils from 8:15am and has a litter picker almost surgically attached, which is either admirable leadership or the most headteacher thing ever invented. Frankly, if more people treated litter like a personal insult, Culcheth would look better for it.
Hunt described Culcheth High as a warm, inclusive community of nearly 1,200 pupils, with a focus on making every student feel seen. The school motto, 'Be the best that you can be', was also highlighted, with Hunt talking about daily improvement rather than perfection. Sensible stuff, and refreshingly human when delivered without the usual management foghorn language.
The conversation also touched on the murder of Brianna Ghey, a tragedy that deeply affected Culcheth and far beyond. Hunt reflected on supporting the school and wider community through that period, and praised the compassion shown by students. That matters. In moments like that, schools are not just places of lessons and lunch queues, they become anchors for young people trying to understand something appalling.
One of the biggest talking points was the school’s phone-free policy, introduced last September. Pupils now have phones locked away in pouches during the day, and Hunt says the impact has been hugely positive, with better engagement and less distraction. Good. The average school day does not need to be a rolling audition for TikTok, Snapchat diplomacy and WhatsApp drama.
That said, phone policies are never magic wands. Social media pressures do not vanish just because a device is zipped away until home time. But removing the constant buzz, ping and doom-scroll from classrooms is a decent start, and frankly many adults could do with the same arrangement in meetings, parish debates and supermarket queues.
Hunt, who is also a dad, said he asks parents a simple question: 'What does it feel like here?' It is a good test. League tables and policies have their place, but the atmosphere of a school tells you plenty. If pupils feel safe, noticed and expected to do better without being crushed by pressure, that is worth taking seriously.
There was also the slightly odd note that the original article mentioned an exclusive subscriber partnership with USA Today and The Herald, despite this being very much a Warrington and Culcheth matter. Nothing says local education news quite like needing a map, a media partnership and possibly a passport. Still, the substance of the interview is local, relevant and important.
Overall, Chris Hunt came across as a headteacher trying to lead with presence, structure and a bit of backbone. The phone-free policy will not please everyone, because nothing involving teenagers, parents and technology ever does, but if it helps pupils focus and feel less ruled by social media, Culcheth High deserves credit for sticking with it.