Senseless sentiments. Your TT at licence issue really is irrelevant and somewhat unfair to infer otherwise.
To the OP, there are generally three options available in the UK: the no-equity scheme, a group share and self-fly hire at a local ATO/flying club. They all have advantages and drawbacks.
It is my opinion that a no-equity group is the most popular route for a modular hour builder. Convenient but
perhaps not the cheapest, however, still very affordable on a budget. Generally availability is good and you can keep membership to a minimum, usually 6 months. For a Warrior you're looking at £70 a month and £100 per hour (hobbs) in your area.
Flying schools do offer similar options by nature of necessity and can be competitive. However it's important to consider aircraft availability during the training calendar if this would be a concern for you. Again this is all down to demand. Conversely, bigger schools can and do allocate part of the fleet for hour building particularly mid-week.
Finally, an aircraft equity share is an investment some are able to afford. Nonetheless - as already mentioned - you'll find most are unwilling to welcome hour builders on grounds which are particularly reasonable but perhaps irrelevant here. Some also require 100hrs prior experience etc. One important thing to note is that it can be difficult to
shift your share when it comes time to move on. Additionally you may be accountable for unforeseen costs e.g. non-routine engine maintenance on a cracked cylinder head...
The opportunity you mention available at your flying school sounds like a positive mix of all three of the above. Unless you can find a like-minded pilot willing to gamble the cost of a small car on a PA-38 flying on-condition then I think you have a viable solution under your nose.
