The amount of the maximum loan is still too little to live on in most areas in the UK now. I am a lone parent, with one wage, no benefits at all, and in an ok medium job and I pay the full top up for my child to attend uni, and will pay full top up for the second as well, and one grandparent has offered to top up some too if we run out of money.
I absolutely do judge on this. I have to pay, on one mediocre income. Both my children have friends who are university material, would have done brilliantly, but either haven't gone or have gone with no money from parents and are already seeking jobs to make up that top up the parents should be paying.
Of course if the parents income is very low, they shouldn't pay- that's what the extra loan evaluation is for, and I also have a friend in this category and they've done amazingly well to support their child to go to uni, supported them, went to all the open days, driven them up there, on the phone being helpful, just in every way being supportive and giving what they can, which is limited due to their valuable but not very high paid jobs.
Those who could pay and don't are so many, not even just for uni- one of the friends of my eldest had to take a job working Sat/Sun to make up income in the household, whilst her siblings who were older sat about not working. She also cleaned their whole house. Be sure I judged when the parent went off on a cruise with their on/off partner. My eldest's friend failed her A levels the first year through exhaustion and nearly didn't go to uni except for our encouragement and help with the forms.
Many people don't seem to give their children even a small allowance, in this cost of living crisis to get the bus to college, making them work when they are attending 5 days a week. Now a nice part-time job is great, but it's bad when you have to work to get food in your household, get the bus and buy clothes when you're 17/18, when there's money coming in your house but you are not given any of it, my dd's other friend has three professional incomes coming in (I have one!) and their child is still in the same few clothes, has not enough for a coffee, is trying to get a job but unsuccessfully as flexible hours are hard if you have college at certain times which has to be travelled to.
I like to think of myself as an easy-going person, and not that judgy, but on this one, I'm absolutely judgy. All my friends pay the maximum they can afford to help their kids- that includes my friend who is a widow, my friends on two minimum wages as well as the richer ones.
Some people honestly just think it all stops at 16, not even 18 and it's not up to them whether their children are clothed, fed or maintained at a basic level. I'm quite shocked by it, and of course then the holidays seem awful.