The OP's experience sounds much like mine back in 1995 ish.
I lived 20 minutes away and it would have been ideal to learn there. I ended up coming to California to learn instead. Saved ££££££ fell in love with the US lifestyle and now happily married to a US girl.
At the time I was looking I faxed or emailed every school I could find in the UK and the USA. I only had 2 schools even bother to reply in the UK, out of 50 odd schools I contacted in the USA only ONE failed to make contact with me.
HTC