Also with regarding to your preparation, get hold of a good book on the flying exercises, maybe Trevor Thom book 1, and learn all the PPL flight exercises lessons 1 to 19, this will also give you a head start.
Unless things have changed this is also very good advioce because I didn't get a single pre lesson brief the whole time I was there. In the UK I wouldn't dream of taking a student up without a class room brief.