That is not correct, hardcase.
EPTA has no formal connection with SFT. SFT completely went after administration poceedings. The manager of EPTA was MD of SFT as you correctly say, but EPTA is an offshoot of Cabair.
I also sat groundschool through SFT, and can see where your misconception of their groundschool comes from. You clearly sat the CAA course, 1999 at the latest, in the early stages of SFT groundschool. By the time I went through as a student under JAA approvals in 2000 there had been a change of key personnel, including the CGI. The groundschool had undergone the transition to JAA as well as any (i.e. with difficulty) in late 1999/early 2000. By the time I joined in 2001 as a Nav instructor it was well-set and running smoothly, with increasing students and the flexibility to take on more than half the students let down by PPSC's collapse. Unfortunately SFT did not last much longer.
EPTA has nothing to do with SFT's groundschool. SFT's instructors went their own ways, as far afield as Malaysia! BCFT set up a groundschool soon after this, and now employ 7 instructors who used to work for SFT.
PPSC's instructors work for various schools, 2 or 3 having set up GTS for distance learning, one is at Oxford and one of EPTA's 3 ground instructors is ex-PPSC.
Chris
Is there any reason to restrict yourelf to one school for the whole course? Have you been advised to do so? Modular is entirely flexible, and if your provider cannot give you the next course at the time you require, or puts too many students through for the aicraft or instructor numbers (you will find many cases mentioned in the past on PPRuNe) you can take your business elsewhere. I would encourage you to do so, and say so to people considering these courses even at our school.
You have more choice at each stage if you are willing to change, as some flight schools have no groundschool and vice versa, and you may feel an FTO has good groundschool but another has a better flight school. Of course Bournemouth has 4 FTOs, so you can keep us guessing and giving good service without having to move!
