I would recommend Barton. Apart from the CFI, all the instructors who were there when I did my PPL now have jobs flying, and will be happy to give you their pearls of wisdom over a drink in the bar. There is a good social atmosphere and the club has so many members it is possible to form your own study groups and use the classrooms there for whatever stage you are at. There are various group aircraft for when you have got your PPL (start it now, by the way, no time like the present) and it is easy to buy and sell a share in a C150 or PA28. There were even shares knocking about in a Chipmunk, Vagabond, Slingsby or Pitts, if thats your thing. The field is very close to Manchester Int'l so if you want to brush up on your R/T or just listen in as you fly down the low-level route MAN ATC are a helpful lot who will humour you if they are not too busy.
For distance learning, I can't recommend any one company, but for a brush up course and help with the question styles, Pete Lines at Coventry is your man. (Several OATS students on the full time course went to his revision sessions and said they were well worth risking the wrath of OATS).
Good luck whichever way you do it.