Why Choose AHeadStart?

CUSTOMISED LESSONS

The most obvious advantage of one-on-one tuition is that every lesson can be customised to suit each student's needs over the course of the year.  Teachers in schools must teach to the ability of the majority of the class, so students who work slower or faster, or may need to focus more on specific course content, are disadvantaged.

Private tuition largely avoids these issues.  Learners benefit from  the ability of our tutors to adjust the pace, focus and goals of every lesson, resulting in optimal learning efficiency.  This is especially important for any students with learning disorders, including dyslexia or dyspraxia.

“We have found the services of AHeadStart to be wonderful, friendly and personalised. Nothing is ever a problem and they are happy to think outside the square to find solutions. We got tuition to expand our son's horizons and to make up some weaknesses his school has, rather than to improve his marks and AHeadStart has done this wonderfully. The fact our son has come away from NCEA level 1 with excellence is an added bonus."

Samuel’s mother Jasmine
Year 11, Mathematics & Science

MORE TIME AND ATTENTION

The amount of time a student receives from their tutor is one of the real values of private tuition. Tutorials are usually on a one-to-one basis, so our tutors can focus their attention fully on each student. 

This is clearly beneficial compared to classes of twenty to thirty pupils where those who are struggling may easily go unnoticed.  With no distractions in private tutorials, our tutors are better able to identify and work on a student’s weak points, and tailor each lesson to the student's learning style, making the whole learning process more effective.

“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 learnt 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
Year 11, Mathematics

CHOOSE THE RIGHT TEACHER

It is well known that students will respond better to a teacher they like and is suited to them.  At school, students usually have very little choice over who their teachers are, so opting for private tuition allows each student or their parents to pick a tutor they feel comfortable with. 

As AHeadStart has such a wide range of tutors available, each with their own strengths, specialities and learning styles, there will be a tutor that is well suited to each and every student.  Finding the right tutor who engage and inspires, can really make a big difference for the learner.

“I couldn't speak more highly of AHeadStart and my tutors, they were so friendly, so helpful and they both truly wanted me to succeed in English and Mathematics by continually giving me every opportunity to improve and prepare. Even in English when I first started tutoring in Level 1 - I went from getting 'achieved' in internals to suddenly getting 'Excellences' for the rest of the year and for Level 2 I received all Excellences for all of my internals and passed all of my exams.”

Mikayla
Year 12, English & Mathematics

INCREASED CONFIDENCE

Through one-to-one tutorials, students are able to work much more closely and develop stronger relationships with their tutor than is possible in a larger class. 

This can have a profound effect, as our tutors can get to know their students better, and so will find it easier to notice potential problem areas and give them specific assistance.  For hesitant students, the friendly, relaxed learning environment helps them to express themselves, as they are not under pressure from their peers.

“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
Year 11, English & Science

HELP WITH HOMEWORK, TEST PREPARATION AND PRACTICE

Homework can often be a boring, and sometimes challenging, ordeal for students.  Many students just work through it without really engaging in the subject, reducing the benefit that can be gained from the exercise. May others will just not do it at all!

With a tutor who can keep the student focussed and interested, school homework can be completed to a higher standard, and more importantly, this process is effective in reinforcing and refreshing the topics covered.  Our tutors can also be especially effective in assisting students prepare for their test and internal assessments.  The advice and support our tutors can provide ranges from structuring revision, to ironing out weak areas in the student’s knowledge.  As a result, a tutor’s help can prove invaluable.

“The most helpful thing about tutoring is I learnt different techniques that I wasn't taught in school and that helped me to remember how to do something. Before I used AHeadStart I was failing all my tests, but this year my results have changed so much and I ended up passing NCEA with 104 credits.”

Nicole
Year 12, Level 2 Chemistry, Mathematics & Physics

MORE INTERESTING MATERIALS AND FORM OF STUDY

School teachers can often be quite rigid in their teaching style, using the same teaching material from year to year.  One-on-one lessons have a less formal approach and so are more flexible. This leaves our tutors free to use whichever materials and learning styles which they think are most useful for each student. 

Students will often be introduced to (online) resources they would not experience at school.  This prevents students from becoming bored, and also pushes their boundaries and provides them with a challenge.

"AHeadStart was an amazing find! I wish I'd found it sooner! =) It helped me so much, it gave me confidence in maths!! made science interesting!!! and above all improved my school grades, to a level at which I'm winning an award for excellence in science! I came top of my class this year, and AHeadStart helped me there. I can't believe I'm typing this, but I now enjoy maths and science = P Thank you very much!"

Year 10 Student
Mathematics & Science

FLEXIBLE AND CONVENIENT

Private tutoring with AHeadStart is flexible and convenient. Our tutors are often able come to you, which can save a lot of travel time and organisation for both students and parents. 

Arranging a suitable lesson time is also easily achievable, so lessons can be structured around school or other extra-curricular activities. With the additional availability of online tutoring, this has become even easier, allowing lessons to occur where and when you want.

“AHeadStart provide friendly, helpful tutors who are well organized and passionate about the subjects they teach. They are quite flexible with times, and the thing that suited us the best is that they come to your home. The tuition they provided for our son was invaluable. Definitely value for money.”

Matthew’s mother Cate
Year 11, Geography, Mathematics & Science

SAVES TIME AND EFFORT

For primary school students, it is beneficial if parents can get actively involved with their children’s learning. However this is not always a practical option.  Busy schedules can limit the time you are able to spend each week helping out with homework. As children enter secondary school  their studies become more advanced. Parents may not always be able to provide suitable assistance, or there can be clash of personalities that makes parents working with their children almost impossible! 

Busy students with many extra-curricular activities, or who have missed time at school, often find there is not enough time for them to commit to their studies as much as they would like. And often, highly motivated students may spend a huge amount of time studying, taking time away from other activities which could benefit them. 

Having a private tutor who has both the time and skills necessary can be a great help, saving time, effort and even student-parent relationships!

“I think that without the tuition I received, I wouldn't have been able to get the grades that I did. For example, through tuition, I learned how to write NCEA answers in a concise way. This helped me to save time on the exam and gave me extra time at the end to re-check all of my answers.”

Ellen
Year 13, Level 3 Biology, Calculus, Chemistry, Physics, Statistics