Student Testimonials

"I received my results for maths and have achieved all and also got two merits (in arithmetic and geometric sequences and non-linear graphs) :)  I would like to take lessons again this year. "

Donia Hend, January 2008
Year 12, Level 2 Mathematics

"Briar was totally chuffed at her results and deservedly so. But the key for me was that it confirmed for her that she was quite capable of working through and understanding her maths, even though she had convinced herself that this was not possible. It seems to be a real issue for maths that so many students think that they are totally unable to comprehend the principles - you either like maths or you hate it and there seems to be no grey area in-between. So the credit really goes to you Melanie for getting Briar over that "useless at maths" label and giving her the chance to succeed - and she did so well! You have a great intuition for understanding how best to explain the subject."

Briar’s mother Cathie, January 2009
Year 12, Level 2 Mathematics

"Everything that Mel went over with me is so much clearer now. She went into detail to help me grasp the concepts I was struggling with. I felt a lot more confident going into my exams as a result of Mel's help. I am also fairly confident that my NCEA marks will have improved from my mock exams when I hadn't had any tuition from Mel."

Alice Christensen, December 2008
Year 12, Level 2 Chemistry, Mathematics & Physics

"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 :) you’re an amazing tutor thanks so much."

Haley, November 2011
Year 13, Level 3 Biology & Statistics

"I repeated year 12 physics as I need it for Medical Imaging. I had already learnt the material, I just wasn't grasping ideas as well as I could have. Having tuition from Mel refreshed the topics and went into detail so that I had a clear idea of all of the concepts. I believe that getting tuition from Mel meant I could go into my exams with confidence and I am quite confident that I will get the grades I am looking for!"

Alice, December 2009
Year 13, Level 2 Physics

"[I enjoyed] how Mel went into a lot of detail and didn't give up until I was very comfortable with the subject. Also how Mel is more fun than teachers at school which makes the lessons more enjoyable."

Alice, December 2008
Year 12, Level 2 Chemistry, Mathematics & 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

“I've been a student of AHeadStart for the past 4 years. During this time, I have seen a great improvement in my grades as well as my fundamental knowledge in the subjects that I studied. I would definitely recommend AHeadStart as a tuition option, as the tutors are great and there are many resources and workshops available to students.”

Ellen, January 2014
Year 13, Level 3 Biology, Calculus, Chemistry, Physics, Statistics

"Thanks and thank you, you really helped me!"

Ngaio, January 2009
Year 13, Level 3 Biology

“I contacted AHeadStart to get some extra support for my son about a month prior to NCEA exams. He is a capable student but finds some aspects of English difficult. In 4 or 5 sessions he worked alongside Paula and gained valuable knowledge about completing English exam papers. He was very pleased to get English endorsed with excellence and so were his parents!!.”

Isaac’s mother Jenny, January 2014
Year 11, English

"AHeadStart was an amazing find! I wish I'd found it sooner! =) It helped me so much, it gave me confidance in maths!! made science interesting!!! and above all improved my school grades, to a level at which I'm winning an award for exellence 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, December 2009
Mathematics & Science

“AHeadStart tuition is beneficial to both the student and the parents. Regular focused tuition throughout the year enabled my dyslexic son to approach is NCEA level 3 exams in a calm, confident and organised manner. The one on one verbal tuition suits my son far better than revising by reading. I felt comfortable that George was receiving the best learning support we could provide him with. With the help of AHeadStart tutor, Jackson, our son has passed NCEA level 3 with Excellence. Thanks!”

George’s mother Judith, January 2016
Year 13, Biology & Chemistry

"I found the high level of knowledge from my tutor, and the use of past ncea examinations from my chosen subject, increased my ability to answer previously difficult questions in my chosen subject with ease."

Jackson, December 2009
Year 11, Level 1 Physical Science

"I think my tuition helped me understand the basics of the topics [and] then learn how to put that understanding to use when given a question. Over all it helped me to understand what questions I was going to get asked and how to solve them the fastest way without making lots of silly mistakes."

Kate McDonald, December 2008
Year 13, Level 3 Statistics

“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, January 2014
Year 12, Level 2 Chemistry, Mathematics & Physics

“I have achieved a Distinction in ICAS and a Year Seven maths award.
I have learnt many new strategies to help me in maths and I think that this is how I have achieved these awards.”

George, January 2016
Year 7, Mathematics

"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

“Hi Melanie. Thank you for your amazing tutoring. I appreciated hugely.”

Laura, November 2014
Year 13, Statistics

“I don't know HOW but I got Excellence on my bio internal. They haven't officially given us the results back yet but they put the mark up on moodle (school website) and I just saw it. I don't know how that happened but thank you so much for the help!”

Izzy, July 2015
Year 12, Level 2 Biology