Disregard the receptionists because that is all that they are. The attitude described is not unique to SFC. It's pretty common in flight schools generally. When people are investigating learning to fly everything is rather new and daunting for them. Strong men become diffident in demeanor and shuffle their feet in embarrassment as they ask questions about something that to them resembles the dark arts.
There's a certain type of woman who takes advantage of this lack of security in others; they're really bullies masquerading as secretaries. Pay them no mind, be scrupulously polite to them, repaying their acrid insolence with nothing but charm and composure. That in itself will be sufficient recompense for your wounded feelings for women, or should one say people in order to generalize and be politically correct on a broader spectrum, of this sort become truly shriveled inside when nice young men refuse to become perturbed and treat them with a dignity which they do not deserve.
So then, walk through the door, make a small show of checking the weather briefing sheets at the beginning of the passageway on the right. Then proceed to the front desk when there is a suitable lull and simply announce that you've booked yourself a medical and so now you'd like to put together a flight training schedule and could you please speak to the head of PPL training in order to sort this out. A PPL is an expensive exercise and you are the customer. You're absolutely entitled to be treated with respect and toleration and you should not accept impertinence or offhanded treatment from those whose salaries you are paying.
You should do your medical first of all, before you start training. There's no sense whatsoever in putting off a perfectly straightforward examination. Any possibly problems would be as well to be discovered at the beginning of your training.
It was my experience that the standards of ground and air training at Stapleford were excellent. Aircraft maintenance was also good. The aircraft I flew were old and tatty but they didn't smell as some old interiors do and they flew nicely once trimmed out, so no structural distortions. I'd certainly use them again.
It's very useful having a decent clubhouse too and the one at Stapleford is particularly good, serving decent cheap food in congenial surroundings. The old buzzard you might see in there from time to time is in his nineties and has trained more people than you or I will ever have hours.