Call us today: 021 156 9281

 

Melanie Coker small.jpg"Hi, I'm Melanie Coker, the  founder and director of AHeadStart Ltd. Tutoring from AHeadStart provides students with the tools to achieve their best, no matter what level they are at.

Starting from five tutors in 2009, AHeadStart now has more than 40 tutors in Christchurch. Over 4,000 students have so far benefitted from our tuition. So many have gone on to achieve degrees they would never have believed possible while at school. Tuition with AHeadStart has opened their minds to the possibilities, altered their dreams for the better and ultimately changed their lives.

I will personally guide each student through the start of their tutoring journey, and make sure they have the best tutor to suit their needs. I give you my personal guarantee."

 

Why AHeadStart Tuition?

  • Personalised one-on-one tutoring in Christchurch - one-on-one or in small groups
  • Convenient Christchurch locations - in person at a local library or in your own home
  • Tuition for all levels - primary (literacy and numeracy), secondary (NCEA, Cambridge and IB) and adult students
  • Expert tutors - high achieving, excellent communicators with a passion for learning
  • Multiple subjects - our tutors can assist students with several subjects within each tutorial
  • Choice of tuition plans - select your desired level of guidance, including progress reports
  • Online tutoring - available all across New Zealand
  • Great value - from $63 per hour for a one-on-one tutorial in person
  • Payment options - pay per tutorial, or in bulk for a 10% discount
  • No fixed term - choose how many tutorials you need to achieve your goals

Contact us for a FREE consultation

 

PERSONALISED ONE-ON-ONE TUITION

Individually customised tutorials match each student's own unique needs

Personalised


Our initial assessment and tailored lessons allows students to be taught more effectively, in a way that meets their own specific requirements.

One-on-one


Individual tuition benefits students as they focus better, increase their confidence and learn more.
 

Expert Tutors


We guide students in their studies and help them develop better study skills, so they perform their best in exams and assessments.

"[Tom] says that it went well. He learnt new  things about writing: about planning. He feels that he did well in his NCEA literacy writing test today!"

Tom's mother Rachael, September 2024
Year 10, English

“I feel Anna achieved all her objectives and irrespective of the results, I witnessed a child 'grow' in so many aspects other than just learning the subjects. Her confidence took in a different level which was profound and was evident in all areas; not just the areas being tutored.”

Anna’s mother, January 2016
Year 12, Biology & Mathematics

"Rory was given a thorough assessment of the gaps he had in his NCEA subjects after our arrival from Australia in August. Tuition from AHeadStart allowed him to quickly catch up and give him the tools to do well in NCEA science and maths."

Rory’s mother Lee, December 2009
Year 11, Level 1 Science & Mathematics

“My daughter's confidence, self-esteem and knowledge have all improved significantly. Clare had been considered 'at risk' of not passing NCEA by her school. However she ended up earning 102 credits which she was very excited about.
She doesn't find tutoring boring and is always happy to go. [She enjoys] Jackson's warm, kind and patient manner as well as his ability to explain things in different ways until she understood - he didn't make her feel stupid for asking for more detail.
Highly recommend AHeadStart.”

Clare’s mother, January 2016
Year 11, English & Science

“Lucie was struggling with minimal help at school, and would have got achieved at best with chem, but after tutoring got merit.
Lucie had a huge amount of extracurricular responsibility, and missed a lot of class time. Caitlin was very clear on re capping and making sure Lucie was absolutely certain in her answers."

Lucie’s mother Deb, January 2014
Year 13, Chemistry

“The tutor was able to help me directly in certain areas of a subject that I struggled with, e.g. certain questions, which allowed me to learn what I needed to rather than go over the same things over and over again. The books with the past NCEA papers were extremely helpful and convenient and they played a good role in this. I find most other tutors, even private, are not very good compared to the tutoring I've had here.”

Richard, January 2014
Year 12, Level 2 Biology, Chemistry & Physics

“Thank you for your excellent tutoring service and support of Ben over the past couple years.”

Ben’s mother Anya, November 2015
Year 13, Statistics

“Thanks Melanie and Lauren

Lauren has been a very positive feature of the year, and I would like to thank her for her support.

Regards, Frances”

Rebecca’s mother Frances, November 2016
Year 13, English & Classics

"Daniel was great yesterday, I really enjoyed it and learnt a lot. He went out of his way to make sure I understood things and I thought his style of tutoring was really suited to me and my learning style. Thank you for all your help."

Kitty, March 2012
Year 13, Chemistry & Physics

"Jed’s feedback was very positive and he definitely thinks tutoring will be useful, he obviously liked Max. Martin said he drove Max a bit mad with his questions but it sounds like Max managed that well!"

Jed’s mother Lesley, September 2014
Year 11, Science

"We found Caitlin excellent as tutor, Rebecca reports that she was very knowledgeable about the material and even lent her a text book for study. Rebecca related well to Caitlin and enjoyed her sessions. We are very grateful for having found your service, as I believe correspondence on its own would have been sadly lacking – I think there is definitely room for some improvement in their resources and methods of instruction, the assigned teacher at the school was pleasant but Rebecca had little contact outside of brief written comments on her work papers."

Rebecca’s mother Noreen, November 2011
Year 12, Level 2 Mathematics

"I hope Bevan passed message on that Matt made a huge improvement in Cambridge maths mid yr exam. 68%! He’s feeling good about it!"

Matt’s mother Robyn, June 2012
Year 11, Level 1 Mathematics

"Hi Melanie – Just to let u know Caitlin passed NCEA Level 2 with merit endorsement. 2 merits in bio and merit endorsed in bio, chem merit and two achieved, 2 merits in English & 1 achieved. We r rapt! Thanks 2 u & Kelly. We will b back this year for more support."

Caitlin’s mother Karen, January 2013
Year 12, Biology & Chemistry

"Thanks for the tutoring, it was much appreciated and most helpful."

Tom Busler, November 2007
Year 13, Level 3 Calculus

“Hi Melanie

Adam & Tim really connected & as far as Adam is concerned the extra tutorials were absolutely worth it & all being well the mark he receives will prove it. He doesn't think he would have felt the way he does if it wasn't for Tim. He even bought him a large bar of chocolate to say "thanks"! I presume he'll let Tim know once he receives his mark.

Thanks again.

Cheers, Ade”

Adam’s mother Ade, November 2016
Year 12, Mathematics

“I just wanted to say thanks for organising to have Jordan come to tutor Ben over the past few months. He has been very helpful. He was very professional, got straight on with the job, and related well with Ben.

Thank you for everything. I would not hesitate to recommend your service to all."

Ben’s mother Nikhola, November 2013
Year 11, Mathematics

"Hi Melanie. I got excellence in NCEA! I also got e in mechanics and biology and e endorsement in maths. I’m so happy! Thank you so much for the help you gave me this year."

Ellen, January 2012
Year 11, Mathematics & Science

“Just a note to let you know how thrilled Daisy is with her results for NCEA Level 1 … she attributes her success in no small part to Helena and her expert tuition, which gave her the confidence to believe in herself and  do so well. Thank you to you too for helping organise all this for us and for getting Helena to us. She not only achieved her 50 Excellence credits (which was her original goal for the year) but in fact exceeded 100 Excellence credits, which means she will be awarded with the top academic honour at St Margaret’s in the form of a red academic bar for surpassing 100 E’s. Only 12 girls achieved this last year in level 1 (there will be more this year as Daisy is in a very bright year group).  She achieved an Excellence endorsement for 4 subjects out of 6 … one of which was Physics which stunned and thrilled her. She was extremely close to getting Excellence endorsements in both Chemistry and Maths also … the algebra external which she failed in her mock exams at school she got an E for in the external.  When I reflect on how she was struggling with her confidence ..with confusion creeping in at around Easter last year when I first got in touch with you …to see her confidence and ability blossoming, the tutoring made all the difference and was worth every cent.”

Daisy’s mother Lorelei, January 2015
Year 11, Chemistry, Mathematics & Physics

“Emma said her tutorial with Jackson was fantastic yesterday. Being dyslexic and a very visual learner his style of teaching really suited her. She came home feeling really positive.”

Emma’s mother Catriona, September 2015
Year 12, Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics & Physics

"Thanks for sending through report and please thank Alice - it’s a very insightful report capturing his strengths, challenges and next steps."

Hamish's mother Fi, November 2024
Year 11, English & Science

“Good evening Melanie,

Things went really well. He was very good at explaining things. It was a massive help. I will be putting the time in on study at my end now and hope it sticks. 

I will be in touch soon to arrange another session.

Kind regards, Dan”

Daniel, July 2016
Diploma in Electrical Engineering, Mathematics

"It went very well. Yusuf thought it was fantastic and really liked Nicholas so I’m thrilled, thank you."

Yusuf's mother Sarah, June 2024
Year 8, Mathematics

“Thank you for sending the report through, and thank you to Aaron as well.  It’s great to see Henry improving and gaining more confidence with his work.”

Henry’s parents Stephanie & John, June 2016
Year 12, English

“Hi Melanie,

Thank you so much for getting tuition up and running so quickly - meet Aira today and very impressed. Mackenzie very happy with the first tuition and thinks Aira is really lovely.

We are looking forward to getting some practice in before the CAT exam. Mackenzie says she has learn more in 1 hour than in class as most of the time she is waiting for the teacher to get round to her.

Much appreciated Bronwyn”

Mackenzie’s mother Bronwyn, August 2016
Year 11, Mathematics

"The tutors are doing a great job with helping students to learn new study techniques."

Neil Viegas, December 2009
Year 11, Level 2 Mathematics

TUITION FOR ALL LEVELS

Tutorials are available for primary, secondary and adult students

PRIMARY STUDENTS

Your child may require help to catch up in reading, writing or maths, gain confidence and build a strong foundation.

Or they may want extension in their favourite subject, or one not covered much at primary school, such as science or coding.

Whatever your child's goals, our primary school tutors will guide your child through every tutorial through regular assessment and lots of encouragement!

More About Primary Tuition >

SECONDARY STUDENTS

Secondary school can be a stressful time for students, especially with regular NCEA assessments throughout the year. Fitting study in around sports and other extracurricular activities can also be challenging.

Whether a student wants to gain enough credits to pass the year, or is aiming for a Merit or Excellence endorsement, our tutors can assist to make that goal a reality. And of course we can also help with Cambridge and International Baccalaureate.
 

 
More About Secondary Tuition >

ADULT STUDENTS

As an adult student it can often be difficult getting back into study, as it may have been years since you opened a text book. You may also be tacking an unfamiliar subject such as mathematics or science.

On top of this you may be studying part time or extramurally, so it may a challenge to fit study around your daily life. Our tutors can help you streamline the learning process, so you can get through your studies with confidence!
 

More About Adult Tuition >

MULTIPLE SUBJECTS

Our tutors can assist students with many subjects in each tutorial

  1. AHeadStart can assist students with 30 different subjects - Maths, English, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Science and Accounting tutoring, are just a small selection.
  2. Most AHeadStart tutors have strengths in multiple NCEA, Cambridge and International Baccalaureate® (IB) subjects, even including subjects as diverse as English, Mathematics & Science!
  3. Flexibility of tutorial structure means students can choose which subjects the cover in a lesson. This means tutors can prepare students as best as possible before each school assessment.
  4. Students benefit by having one tutor to cover several subjects and make the most out of every tutorial.

 

 

Accounting

Secondary & Adult Tuition

English

Primary, Secondary & Adult Tuition

Mathematics

Primary, Secondary & Adult Tuition

Science

Primary, Secondary & Adult Tuition

OUR NUMBERS SAY IT ALL

Students

3,659+

 

Students have chosen AHeadStart

Tutors

40+

 

AHeadStart tutors to choose

Hours

60,702+

 

Hours of tuition provided

EXPERT TUTORS

Students choose their own tutor from a selection to match their specific needs

  1. Our team of Christchurch tutors are high achievers, excellent communicators and passionate about sharing their knowledge.
  2. Every tutor has personal experience of NCEA, Cambridge or IB at secondary school, and know what it takes to achieve success. Many tutors were Dux or Proxime Accessit, or involved in leadership positions such as Head Boy or Head Girl.
  3. Our tutors are selected via a very thorough interview process. All tutors are screened by the NZ Police prior to being placed with students.

 

TUITION PLANS

Students select a tuition plan to match their goals and level of motivation

ONE-ON-ONE TUITION

PLATINUM PLAN

For students who lack motivation and need guidance with their studies. Includes weekly homework and progress reports every 5 tutorials.

More Details

GOLD PLAN

For self-motivated students who take charge of their own learning and have questions about their school work.
 

More Details

GROUP TUITION

SILVER PLAN

For self-motivated students wanting personalised tuition in pairs.

Students need to have a sibling or friend they would like to have tuition with before choosing this plan.

More Details

GROUP PLAN

For self-motivated students who would like tuition in a small group.

Students need to have two siblings or friends they would like to have tuition with before choosing this plan.

More Details

TUITION FREQUENCY

Students choose how often they would like to see their tutor to match their needs

WEEKLY
 

  • Students have a regular weekly tutorial (or more) during the school terms.
  • Suits students who want consistent help throughout the year to stay on top of their schoolwork.

 

CASUAL
 

  • Students schedule tutorials as required, with no ongoing commitment.
  • Suits students who need help for a short period to catch up on missed work or assistance before assessments.
     

 

 

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION

Tuition at a local library or in your own home

Libraries

15+

Libraries where
AHeadStart has tutorials

Suburbs

70+

Suburbs where students
can be tutored at home

CONVENIENT LOCATIONS

A range of locations to suit your needs

  

City Libraries


Christchurch Public Libraries and the University of Canterbury provide a studious environment and inspire students to use these spaces in their own learning time.

We Can Come To You


Home tuition is available in Christchurch for those with busy schedules and offers a familiar, safe environment for the student to learn.