I'm at SFC. Accommodation is very nice, any issues will be fixed straight away. The course co-ordinator will bend over backwards for you, whatever you need she'll try her best for you. Very nice atmosphere, staff from instructors to receptionists are all very friendly. Most of them have been there for many many many years, obviously some of the PPL instructors are new and have come straight out of training but they are still good. They have maintenance at the field so any problems with aircraft are usually fixed pretty quickly depending on the problem obviously. They have a nice student car too which helps getting to the shops and that, it's not free but I think you have to pay a few pennys per miles.
I got through my PPL in about 6 weeks full time and that's including days off and weather cancellations. As I said, a lot of the instructors there are there to be instructors not to build hours, and there are engineers there who I recognise from the mid 1990s so it's very much a school where staff are there for the long term.
Nobody will hold your hand through it, instructors are always asking if you need help or have any questions but you have to go away from the lesson and put work in. Re-read what you learnt, read what you're gonna learn next lesson. You could probably get away without doing this but trust me the instructors know if your lazy, they'll still help you but they probably won't go the extra mile for you like they did for me and others who put 100% into it. A lot of people have the attitude the PPL is just a chore to do to get onto the real flying, but the PPL is the most important part IMO.
Hardly any negatives, one would be my lesson times got changed and nobody told me, only happend once though.
Keep an extra eye out when Alan Sugar is flying in his Cirrus. That man seriously lacks airmanship!
Not sure what else to say except to go there and look about.
Edit: forgot to mention that all your skills tests can be done from Stapleford, previously you would have to fly to Cranfield, pick up an examiner and then do it but the examiners come to you now. PPL Examiners and CPL 170A are in house staff.