1) I tried a couple off the list in Southbourne, and they were both fine, provided you can put up with typical English landlady asking you too many questions first thing in the morning. Southbourne is handy for weekend pissups if that's your cup of tea.
2) The two I had were both excellent, and I didn't hear any complaints about others whilst I was there.
3) Make sure you do plenty of prep in the evenings, and if they still haven't got round to fitting a Hobbs meter, try to get as much practice as you can in the Fresca. Although bear in mind 2), as with any type of flight training, your success is down how much effort you put in more than anything else.