I learned to fly with Firecrest. No, they are not as shiny or corporate as Cabair, but they are lucky to have a number of excellent instructors. I was able to stay with one instructor from first lesson to test. At the end, when I was struggling a bit with PFLs, they were flexible enough to let me go with another instructor for a few hours.
Amir from flyteam sets some of the exams - he is the boss. Make you no mistake. I didn't have a problem with this.
As for Elstree itself, it's a bit of a nuisance. It typically takes six minutes to make the southern circuit, which is probably longer than many airfields. By contrast the northern inner circuit will push you for time when you are learning.