Hi SM85.
As you can probably tell from my username, I'm a cadet currently on the wings course studying for a frozen ATPL (CPL/IR) at CTC Aviation. Firstly, I know that CTC do have an allowance for previous hours flown, although I'm not entirely sure on how much exactly is credited.
Sponsorship. As an aspiring pilot, it's been painful to see that no real opportunities have emerged offering a full sponsorship post 9/11. However, there are various airlines (EasyJet, Monarch, Qatar) who offer MPL courses. To summarise, the MPL is a training course developed alongside the airlines in order to produce low hour pilots who are specially trained already in Multi-crew operations, and have plenty of sim hours. The main bonus for the cadet is that obviously - as long as you pass the selection and also all of the CAA exams to the required grade, you're pretty much guaranteed a job with that parent airline on completion of training. In this current day and age, myself included whilst on the wings course, the forecast is 5 months in the hold pool waiting for my turn to sit in the right hand seat.
With CTC and OAA, BBVA offer finance solutions, although I can honestly say it's not a great deal. I mean yeah, it's there, and people who are desperate to get on the course will indeed take a loan through BBVA, I very nearly did! However if you have ANY other financial resource, try your hardest to fund it that way!
With regards accommodation.. I assume you've looked at the big schools like CTC/OAA/FTE? CTC's wings package is £69,000 (not including the cost of flying in New Zealand, which for me was £10,700 but varies each month!) BUT accommodation is included in the price, and I was very impressed with the accommodation my peers and I lived in! As for OAA, they have 'halls of residence' but they are £7000 for the duration of groundschool, failing that - Kidlington is a fairly expensive place to rent.. Added to the cost of flight training with OAA (again around £80,000) it all begins to get very expensive before you've even thought about adding a Type Rating at the end of the course!
All I can say is continue and obtain your Class 1 medical, and try and get to ALL of the schools open days, and work out for yourself which school suits you. I chose CTC because of the employment statistics, that for me is the most important stat after parting with £80,000! But I have many friends who have been through OAA and couldn't rate the school high enough. And of course, if you have any questions, please feel free to drop me a PM!
From my username please do not think that I am biased toward CTC in any way, I am very honest and give my own opinion.