I went to Stapleford a few years ago, and now I recently passed the Ryanair assessment.
In a nutshell, Stapleford has a no nonsense atmosphere; They have some amazing instructors that will challenge and push you with every lesson, but it's up to you to prepare properly and make the most out of it! They won't hold your hand, and Colin (HoT) won't stand for bull****! They'll get you ready for your skills test in the shortest time possible, and they have a great pass rate! Pro tip, Jon is a career instructor at SFC, and a genius at teaching IR flying!
I found the location excellent for my IR; several options available to practice approaches, none too far away.
Added benefit, Stapleford owns the airfield, so you won't be paying yourself blue on landing fees!
The only "downside" I could think of is their fleet. It's a bit of a mixed bag. Some very modern glass cockpit tecnams and DA42s, combined with some beat up PA28s and C150s (all with their own cockpit). Is it a downside? I don't think so; you're being trained to fly everything, so why should it bother you? But some people only prefer to fly the latest and greatest.
For perspective: I keep in touch with my old buddies. We all got jobs at airlines now (Ryanair, BA Cityflyer, Stobart, Aer Lingus) so I'd say the training/reputation is worth its salt!
I'd recommend them at least, but I'm a biased ex student
Hope it helps! Let me know if you want any more info.