No I didnt get groundschool for my exams but Dah Dah made the point I was trying to make very well. If you are going on to higher things its a huge help to have a good base to start from.
I think Thoms books arent good enough to prop up the short leg of my bed. They may have all the info, but they are the worlds most boring books. Have you ever read the Jeppesson PPL or CPL books Alex? Loads of colour, pictures, Little illustrative stories in the columns, well laid out books that keep you from falling asleep after 5 mins. They should make them for the JAR PPL. I would agree with you though, the PPL confuser can be abit of a dangerous thing as it is sometimes the sole basis of the exams.