Jacky Boy said.... "Some will give you a discount for putting half or all of the cost up front"
You're probably not stupid, but i'll say this anyway....
I went and paid £2k up front at my old flying school with the promise that i'd be saving around £500 - which included landing fees and membership etc..
Unfortunatly I didnt finish the PPL there because of weather and a crappy unorganised school and so when I moved to Leeds I joined another flying club.
The problem here was, that I hadnt finished all my hours at the old school and so the owner/devil asked us to pay everything full price, then he kept my money for months on end and refused to pay me. None of the "if you leave early you have to pay full price" was mentioned when he welcomed us with an open bank account....
My lesson learnt - dont pay up front unless you're 110% sure they're trustworthy, and/or you have EVERYTHING in writing.
Be careful, most clubs are great - but there are some owners who are in it for the profit
Good luck