It seems that some people are enabled to do so very little (with the best of intentions) and it really doesn't help them.
My friend was told to leave school at 16 and bring some money home. Her parents saw further education as pointless - as she'd just marry and have children. Her brother was encouraged to take A levels and go to university, as he'd be a breadwinner.
She found herself abandoned with a newborn, made homeless when she refused adoption - yet worked and studied (non stop) for years, gaining a first class honours, then a PhD - and works for a top university.
Her brother? He returned home from uni for the first Christmas break, never went back - and has never been able to hold down a job!
To think that London, or anywhere else for that matter, does not belong to any one demographic