Good points Kendall, on top of which a politician can't do anything anyway if he's not electable.

Eliza, not "all schools" in the UK. At the Nottinghamshire school where I am a governor the public have rights of way across the campus, there is a public library within the main building (shared by the students, and much better than any state school would otherwise warrant), a centre for adults with mental/learning difficulties, an elderly day centre an FE college for adult learners and a public leisure centre. In other words it is an integral part of the community, and there is NO locked entry system.

Come and visit us: you would be following in the footsteps of a secretary of state, a prime minister and a royal prince among others, all of whom say what a shining example we are, but do nothing to make such an approach possible without the constant battling against the system that keeps our school the way it is.