Parent Testimonials

“I felt the help Anna received was invaluable and has made a positive contribution to her general development in both maturity , conscious application of concepts grasped and reflective appraisal of own work. Extremely rewarding to see and of immense worth to Anna and her self-esteem.”

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

"Thanks to Melanie & John for your very professional approach to tuition. You provide lots of information & resources which made the whole process easy & accessible. Thank you. "

Alice’s mother Robyn, December 2009
Year 12, Level 2 Physics

“She learned that physics is fun! She learned that it is really easy to understand when she knows the language and has more confidence in her own abilities. Her marks improved markedly and she ended up receiving the Cathedral College Physics Cup for Year 13. Her teacher had always had a lot of confidence in her ability to understand physics, but Edie was almost holding herself back by thinking she wasn't capable.”

Gretchen’s mother Edie, January 2016
Year 13, Physics

"The session went really well thanks. Molly said Cameron was great answering her questions and that he communicated really well the answers. She said it was very helpful"

Molly’s mother Pip, September 2014
Year 12, English

"Yes, Alex came home buzzing. She really wants to do well in her exams later this year. Sadly for her, her results in the mock exams were disappointing.

So after her first English tutorial yesterday, she is already feeling a lot more confident and is a happier person. Many thanks for organising Paula."

Alex’s mother Cassandra, September 2013
Year 11, English

"[We found it helpful] that our tutor Michelle, was more than business - she was REALLY interested in our daughter, her experience at school, her progress, how she related to her teachers.
She also taught how to look at the problem from another angle or another way, until you find one that makes sense to you."

Olivia’s mother Allie, January 2014
Year 9, Mathematics

“Tom has improved his test scores in maths and will be up streamed soon we hope. His confidence has improved hugely and that is due to the knowledge and understanding Sean has given him. Sean was easy to get on with, a great role model and very smart and appropriate at all times, a great teacher.”

Tom’s mother Jo, January 2016
Year 10, Mathematics

“Jake gained a better understanding of the physics subjects he concentrated on and it supported him to a merit grade in a standard he was not sure he would pass!”

Jake’s mother, January 2016
Year 13, Physics

"Anyway, thanks again. And to Hannah and John, they really were excellent tutors for Monica. Perfect match in both cases. Both very fine young people.

I think one of the advantages I hadn't considered when thinking about whether to go with more traditional 'crusty old schoolteacher' tutors or young uni students was the role model aspect. and I think it’s great for Monny to see young people, only a couple of years older than she is who are doing really well at uni, studying hard, but still very cool.

Needless to say, we are very big fans of yours now and recommend you to everyone. We have our fingers crossed for NCEA, but know that without John and Hannah she was really facing a huge challenge to get through maths and chemistry."

Monica’s mother Karen, December 2012
Year 12, Level 2 Chemistry & Mathematics

“You provided fantastic tutoring for my daughters Holly, from St Andrews College, and Sorren, who was working hard to improve her SAT maths score for admission to a USA university scholarship (incidentally she is in her 3rd year now!).”

Holly’s & Sorren’s mother Erica, October 2015

“We are very happy with Claudia’s lessons and that her test results in class have improved considerably, with her end of year report and conversations with her science teacher supporting her growth in this subject.  Claudia’s confidence has grown heaps! 

Claudia is a quiet student who struggles to ask for help when she needs it, so the one on one lessons have been amazing for her.  Marwah is fantastic and Claudia just loves her, which makes her lessons a delight rather than a chore. 

Thank you for our short time with you last year and we really look forward to 2014 with AHeadStart.”

Claudia’s mother Trish, January 2014
Year 11, Mathematics & Science

 “I would highly recommend AHeadStart for students undertaking NCEA. It has been especially helpful for helping our children to understand how NCEA works and to manage and prepare for the external exams."

Holly’s & Bernadette's mother Mary, January 2014
Year 11 & Year 12, Chemistry, Mathematics & Science

"Thanks for the tutoring for Liam. He ended up with a merit endorsement for Physics and 2 merits and an achieved in the external."

Liam’s mother Raewyn, January 2014
Year 12, Physics

“We have been very pleased with the effort Blake and Lethan have put in for Matt. Both he, Pete and I appreciate their efforts very much.”

Matt’s mother Cate, December 2015
Year 13, Level 3 English, Geography, History

“The one on one in a comfortable and familiar environment really helped as did getting to know the tutor and his style/interaction. Also, being able to ask questions and go at a pace that kept information front of mind assisted overall learning.
His English grades improved in essay writing (personal responses) from an achieved to a merit. Overall he received a merit endorsement for this subject when he was nervous at the beginning of the year he may not be successful or only just achieve. This has increased his confidence with this important subject!”

Oliver’s mother Louisa, January 2016
Year 12, English

“I have nothing but praise for the way this business is run. From the first contact (with Melanie I think) she was friendly, helpful and informative.

The tutor was excellent. My son kept going back which is a start! Plus his exam results were great.

I am very happy and would definitely recommend to family/friends as a positive, friendly and stress free experience. Some businesses are in your face with email/phone contact to introduce you to more of their opportunities but I found AHeadStart had none of that. With our busy lives these days it's annoying having lots of emails or phone calls etc, this was not the case at all.

Thank you to Melanie and her team at AHeadStart.

All the best and regards
Chris Peckham.”

Blake’s mother Chris, January 2016
Year 13, Physics

“Sophie passed both calculus and physics and obtained merit in mechanics, which was a topic she struggled with. Thanks for the help! Sophie was very comfortable with Max.”

Sophie’s mother Tracy, January 2016
Year 13, Calculus & Physics

"Mel is a very knowledgeable tutor and has a gentle approach to passing this knowledge on to the student. A lot of thought goes into the lesson plans taking into account the students individual ways of learning. I have always verbalised what I would like to see achieved and feel able to discuss Callum's needs as far as I see. Mel is always happy to tweak her lessons plans and try new ways to help achieve results. The tutoring has been very worthwhile."

Callum’s parents Sandra & Ian Young, December 2008
Year 11, Level 1 Science

“AHeadStart definitely provides a more professional and comprehensive service [than other tuition].”

Emmerson’s mother Tracey, January 2016
Year 13, Biology & Chemistry

“Melanie has given my daughter more confidence in her own abilities and she is more positive and engaged in her maths. I highly recommend this to anyone who feels their child needs a boost in a subject.”

Emma’s mother Karen, January 2016
Year 11, Mathematics & Science

“Ben is very happy with James.  James is teaching Ben stuff that Ben's teacher isn't teaching, which fills in the gaps for Ben. So we are all happy!”

Ben’s mother Sarah, March 2016
Year 12, Mathematics & Physics