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.

"Rob has gained Uni entrance and also Level 3 too so we are totally thrilled... he is incredibly pleased. He gained 17 credits in biology and still avoided the DNA paper!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Would you thank Adam for me please and let him know...and a huge thank you to you too..."

Rob’s mother Edwina, January 2011
Year 13, Level 3 Biology

“I would recommend head start to any parent as an added learning tool for their child.”

Josh’s father Russell, January 2016
Year 13, Calculus

"Overview an excellent relaxed approach which should boost any student's learning. Thankyou for coming to our house and discussing this material with her ... see you next year. "

Amuri’s mother Jenny, December 2009
Year 12, Level 2 Physics

“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

“Hi Mel I just got my result for the Homeostasis internal and I got Excellence! Thank you for all the help, hope you have great holidays!
Izzy.”


Isabel, April 2016
Year 13, Biology

 

"Please thank Jonathan from us. He has been a great tutor for Izzy.  A really good choice for her!! We are grateful for his kind teaching and his genuine understanding of her. He has had a big impact."

Izzy's mother Juliet, November 2025
Year 13 Calculus, Chemistry & Physics

“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

“Hi Melanie

Sam really enjoyed it and thought Sean was awesome.  His words were 'he's young and cool, and he stays on the subject, he doesn't get distracted and start talking about other things'.  So there's an honest answer from mine.  Sam is quite a social chatter so it sounds good that Sean will keep him on task. He was excited telling me about it which is what I thought as he likes one on one or in this case two to one.

I'll definitely keep you posted.  My husband dropped Sam and met Sean and he said he gets a good feeling and that we will see results.  All in all, a great first review.

Very happy indeed.  Thanks so much.”

Sam’s mother Rochelle, March 2016
Year 7, Mathematics

"It went really well. Ella explained the subject very well and Hannah found her easy to understand - better than her physics teacher at school! 
Ella was very friendly and approachable and they both got on well.
Thank you for organising. Hannah is looking forward to her next session."

Hannah's mother Angela, April 2024
Year 12, Physics

"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

"[I] have asked Gemma how her tutorial was and she said their session was good. They thought Helena was very smart (!) and she was able to help them understand their class work. All good for next Monday again."

Gemma’s mother Kathy, August 2014
Year 10, Mathematics

“[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

"It has been really helpful for Ryan and we appreciate Louie for all the support.
Thanks to you, Melanie for clearing communication."

Ryan's mother Kelly, November 2024
Year 13, English

“George did super well at his prize giving with a maths excellence certificate and overall award for science and we know a lot of that was thanks to Sean :)

Thanks, Justine.”

George’s mother Justine, January 2017
Year 8, Mathematics & Science

"We would just like to let you know that things went really well with Hannah’s first visit today. Lucy was really chuffed about how much she had learned and Hannah is a lovely girl and obviously very patient!

We are feeling very confident that this is the beginning of a huge improvement in Lucy’s understanding of maths and we are lucky to have someone like Hannah to help her."

Lucy’s mother Sarah, July 2012
Year 5, Mathematics

"Rory found the 1:1 tuition very helpful. He was able to address specific issues very quickly. "

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

“Just a note to thank you very much for all your help with supporting Daisy via Helena again this year. Daisy’s confidence and love of science due to Helena’s expert and engaging tuition has blossomed. From the Year 10 girl I called you about two years ago, starting to lose her understanding of concepts and needing support, to the confident Excellence level student we have now, has been a transformation. Daisy has always loved science and that love has grown ten-fold in the past two years. She managed to gain 100% Excellences in all her internals this year… not just for her 3 sciences but in all 6 subjects and is already way past the 50 Excellence credits needed for her Level 2 Excellence endorsement, and only 6 credits shy of gaining her second Gold Bar at St Margaret’s (70 E credits).

Many thanks once more. Please tell Helena that Daisy will be in touch with her when she gets her results in January!”

Daisy’s mother Lorelei, December 2015
Year 12, Level 2 Chemistry, Mathematics & Physics

“Hi Melanie,

We would like to thank you most sincerely for the excellent service you have given us over the past few weeks.

Thank you for all the wonderful work your tutors have done to help Emma with her studies. I will be very quick to recommend AHeadStart to all my friends.

Have a great day.

Kind regards, Jenny”

Emma’s mother Jenny, November 2016
Year 13, Accounting, Physics & Statistics

"We have enjoyed Caitlin’s help and have been very impressed in how Caitlin managed to turn Ashlea around from failing to finishing within the top 3 of her Year 12 class. We really can’t thank Caitlin and AHeadStart enough."

Ashlea’s father Stephen, June 2011
Year 12, Level 2 Biology & Chemistry

“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

“I gained a lot of knowledge about chemistry, my grades were achieved at the start of the year and i ended up receiving excellence in all my internals. If it wasn't for AHeadStart I most likely would have barely passed level 2 chemistry.”

Matthew, January 2016
Year 12, Chemistry

“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

"It is great to see Beau enjoying Accounting now.  He has even applied to take the subject again next year."

Beau's mother Kelly, July 2025
Year 11 Accounting

"As a result of my tuition, answering different kinds of exams, 1) has improved my confidence, 2) has taught me easier ways to solve problems. And step by step I have found myself loving the subject, and test marks have improved successfully."

Donia Hend, December 2008
Year 13, Level 3 Chemistry & Calculus

"My goal was to pass. We met and went through the questions one by one. It was such an exhausting lesson. But it was really worth it, because I really couldn't believe it when I learnt that my overall mark was C+ "a clear pass". So I got in contact with AHeadStart, and Melanie "my tutor" had helped me to acquire these maths basics, which by the way were very essential for other subjects too."

Khalid, December 2008
Level 100 Statistics

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.