Spender highlights the inequalities in a democratic society. Although democracy is supposed to level the playing field and allow all to get a good education, the classroom in his poem is a slum and offers little hope to its students. Spender shows the widespread neglect of poor children, without naming their ethnicity, race, or country. Spender believed that it was a result of capitalism. The educational system turns a blind eye to the problem of lesser-fortunate children, Spender claims, and will not do anything to fix it until a spotlight (or maybe his poem) highlights the ills in the system.