Only a fool will not pay-as-you-go in this climate - no matter what school and how flashy their advertising is in the back of Flight. It was probably 8 years ago when the last big school folded, leaving many without a licence and with no money. It is a strategy that you should apply throughout your training. The only time i had to pay upfront for each module was Bristol Ground School, but the amount was minimal (compared to the rest of the bills). In fact during my ME/CPL/IR my school let me go substantially in debit, once they got to know me. Otherwise, i would just settle up what i owed at the end of each flying week, so I was always sort of in debit.