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.

“Our child learnt exam techniques and hoe to study efficiently. She gained Level 1 with Excellence.
With the direct one on one tutoring Issey was able to concentrate fully on areas she lacked confidence in and areas she needed to improve on.”

Isabella’s parents Simon & Robyn, January 2016
Year 11, English, Maths & Science

"Hamish did much better than we expected with his Economics exam.
All indications from parent interview/school reports were that Hamish was struggling. So, I suspect these results are a result of the excellent work Alexandria has been doing with Hamish. Please thank her. She has a lovely personable manner as well."

Hamish's mother Fiona, August 2025
Year 12 Economics

"Thank you to Jennifer for being a great tutor. Tave really enjoyed her method of teaching and found her super helpful."

Tave's mother Renita, November 2024
Year 12, Biology & Chemistry

"Just wanted to say how thrilled we are with Caitlin's tuition. In addition to the skills and knowledge she has helped Josh acquire she has given him a lot more confidence. We are very grateful to Caitlin and the service you provide."

Josh’s mother Lynnette, October 2013
Year 12, Biology & Chemistry

"Wow, this is a great report.  I really appreciate the specifics of his learning progress and areas of need.
Superb work ladies.  
Courtney, I have been super impressed with the way you have worked with Beau.  Like many teenage boys, he is not always the best communicator.  A huge indicator of your success is that Beau hasn't moaned once about going to so many lessons in the holidays, and other than forgetting his homework a couple of times due to early shifts at work, he is perfectly happy to complete his homework tasks too.  Thank you so much for all the work you put in to helping him rebuild his confidence as a mathematician."

Beau's mother Kelly, January 2025
Year 11, Mathematics

"The feedback which I have received from my student has been extremely positive. He had Jason as a Maths Teacher, and I know that the one on one tution made all the difference to the confidence of my student. I would definitely recommend the agency they are easy to contact and very helpful. He will be using the services of your agency again in 2010. I am the guardian of this young man, and I know that from his comments he is extremely satisfied."

Paht’s guardian Margaret, December 2009
Year 12 Mathematics

“Thank you for your kind wishes to Charlie. He is quietly confident for a good result! Our thanks to James also. We were very happy with the quality of his tuition.”

Charlie’s mother Margaret, November 2015
Year 13, Calculus

"[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

"Thanks for checking in. Ava was very happy with Emma’s tutoring. She was impressed and thinks the way Emma tutors will really work well for her."

Ava's father Blair, August 2024
Year 13, Chemistry

“[Alex] had his prize giving this week and got top of Calculus and Dux, so he was pretty happy!”

Alex’s tutor Don, November 2015
Year 13, Level 3 Calculus

“Jedd is dyslexic and needed assistance with implementing and understanding what he was learning at school.
Jedd's school report was excellent and he achieved "above the standard" results in many of the assessed areas which was impressive for Jedd!”

Jedd’s mother, January 2016
Year 10, English

“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

“Mae has found Emma to be an excellent tutor. She was punctual, knowledgeable and friendly. Mae said she could always answer her questions and was an informative teacher. Her exact words were "she knew heaps about chemistry!"

Please pass on our thanks to Emma.”

Mae’s mother Truus, November 2015
Year 12, Chemistry

“Hi Melanie… Thank you for this report. Excellent feedback from Anna, she is doing just great work with our Sarah, they get along really well. Anna’s ability to motivate Sarah is fabulous!

Best regards Bev”

Sarah’s mother Bev, February 2016
Year 11, Mathematics

"If left to his own devices, I am not sure our son would have achieved such great results. Melanie provided great resources and tuition, and also helped him to believe that he could do it. "

Kieran’s mother Marian, December 2009
Year 12, Level 2 Chemistry, Mathematics & Physics

"Hi James and Melanie 
Thankyou so much for the support for Imogen's learning .

James you are making a huge difference to her learning and understanding of both Physics and Chemistry. 
Thank you for working and encouraging . It is fabulous to see how much she values the tutorials . 

Thank you James for communicating with Imogen and mutually flexing the scheduled time . 
Am really thankful for your time and effort.

Melanie I have already mentioned to other friends how fantastic this has been for Imogen .
Hope you both have a lovely week 

Thank you again for making learning enjoyable and successful."

Imogen's mother Louise, June 2025
Year 13 Chemistry & Physics

"A big thank you to Chloe for her support. She has been amazing. Jennifer has only had nice and positive things to say about Chloe the whole year. Jennifer has enjoyed her sessions with Chloe and has found her style of tutoring so beneficial. Jennifer wouldn't be where she is today without her."

Jennifer’s mother Nicola, November 2012
Year 13, Chemistry

“Hi Melanie

We really want to say thank you for your professional and friendly service. The tuition has certainly helped Benjamin to achieve better in Physics and Maths. He really does struggle with his learning and we were encouraging him to tackle these tricky subjects to allow him to achieve in these UE subjects.

Please pass onto James that he has been amazing and Benjamin really enjoyed receiving tuition from him. He was very good at encouraging and teaching Ben at Ben's level of understanding.

Many thanks, Sarah”

Ben’s mother Sarah, November 2016
Year 12, Physics

"Yes, Helena's Chemistry exam was Friday. She felt mildly confident but you never really know do you. 
Either way, result wise,  Hannah was fantastic. She was the difference between confidence/knowledge and not."

Helena's mother Rachele, November 2024
Year 13, Chemistry

“Hi Melanie,

Ryan got his student pack, which we looked through together when he got home and I saw the letter then.

Ryan enjoyed his first lesson with Hayden. He wanted to talk about and discuss the things Hayden had taught him! Ryan said he likes Hayden’s teaching method.

Hayden speaking clearly and talking directly to him made it easier for Ryan to understand. Ryan talked about his teachers at school and he said one of his teachers talks quietly and mumbles a lot which makes it difficult for children in the class to understand him.

I think Hayden will help with Ryan’s confidence to ask more questions at school.

So I must say, it has been a very positive start and Ryan is looking forward to his next lesson.

Thanking you, Kerrie”

Ryan’s mother Kerrie, August 2016
Year 11, Mathematics & Science

“I PASSED MY EXAM!!!!!!!!! Thank you so much for everything you have done for me! You are a star xxxxx”

Amy to Marwah, January 2017
Bachelor of Teaching (primary), Mathematics

"Please thank Rupert for all his help.  I believe Luke is alot more confident going into his exams than he was.  Crossing everything that he passes his exams.  
Thanks for supporting Luke and helping us out with tutoring. I'll highly recommend your business. 
Many thanks!"

Luke's mother Kendra, August 2026
Year 13 Calculus & Physics

“Hi Melanie.

I met Sam when I dropped Angus off tonight. What a lovely young man. He seems to be prepared and very on to it.

He will text a review of the session tomorrow so we can be able to know how it all went.

We are very impressed and happy with the calibre of the tutors we have become involved with.

Thank you.

Keep in touch :-)

Cheers and thanks, Wendy.”

Angus’s mother Wendy, September 2016
Year 11, Economics & Mathematics

“I am very pleased with Mathew’s progress and I know he feels the same. Aaron has definitely changed Mathew’s attitude towards English. I know Mathew feels more confident heading towards exam time with the confidence he has gained with Aaron. Thank you so much to Aaron.”

Mathew’s mother Andrea, October 2015
Year 11, English

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.