Student Testimonials

"Thank you very much for tutoring me the last few terms. It has helped me a lot."

Bec, November 2009
Year 13, Level 3 Biology

"[Tuition] also helped me have a better understanding of the maths subjects I wasn't doing too well in and also helped me set realistic goals for the subjects. Once I got what I wasn't getting it made my confidence go up as I knew that I could actually do it."

Alice Cameron, December 2008
Year 12, Level 2 Mathematics

“Hey we just got our statistics results back and I got excellence!!!!! Yahhhhhh!!! Thank you so much for helping me with it :)”

Nila, July 2014
Year 13, Statistics

“Thank you so much for all the help you have given me with bio and stats this year. I’ve enjoyed the funny yet shockingly bad jokes and thank you for putting up with my countless blonde moments. I look forward to seeing you next year.”

Anna, November 2015
Year 12, Level 2 Biology & Mathematics

“The most helpful thing about tutoring is when I don't get something my tutor will explain it in another way until I understand it. It is also useful to be able to ask as many questions as you want to.

In chemistry I found it really useful to be able to have someone explain directly a concept I didn't understand in class. I enjoyed eventually feeling confident with chemistry!”

Laura, January 2014
Year 12, Level 2 Chemistry & Mathematics

"I passed all my maths and science papers with achieveds and merits."

Kieran, January 2009
Year 11, Level 1 Mathematics & Science

"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

"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

"As a result of having tutoring I feel I understand every topic a lot better. Before I started tutoring I thought I understood the topic but test results said a different story. After having tuition I found I had a better understanding of the topics in general and most of the time I understood what the question was asking.

I thought that Melanie was very helpful in explaining easy ways to understand what the question meant. In Solving Probability problems during the year my report was not achieving at the end of the year it changed to Achieving well my results changed from a not achieved to a merit. Understanding the language they used in Probability was my biggest problem I feel tutoring really helped this subject improve as I grasped what they were really trying to ask.

In the subject Applying Probability Distributions my results changed from not achieving to a merit. This is because I learnt when to apply binomial or Poisson or normal distributions. I learned the difference between these three distributions and it helped improve my test results.

In the topic Using Confidence intervals my results changed from not achieved to an achieved but I feel that the practice and revision I did between the last school results and the final NCEA exam that hopefully my results are higher than that. I feel more confident with this topic now.

Finally with the topic solving equation I could only ever do the simultaneous equations and not the graph part. I use to avoid this paper and did not do it in the school practice exam. So I do not have any results to show how I have improved but I feel with the lessons I have received that I can now answer all questions in this topic and I find it the most enjoyable and the easiest topic to do out of all of them."

Kate McDonald, December 2008
Year 13, Level 3 Statistics

“I used to go to NumberWorks, I found that they weren't age appropriate- so many games, and the tutors didn't always know the answer or explain well. AHeadStart is much better; is age appropriate, and Anna could always explain the answer. Also I liked how AHeadStart came to my house because other people like at number works are loud and distracting.”

Emma, January 2016
Year 13, Physics

"The tutors were fantastic and I am very happy with the quality of teaching they all provide. Thank you."

Year 13 Student, December 2009
Level 3 Physics & Statistics

"Scott seems quite happy with the exams so far. I am very appreciative of the skills and abilities of the tutors as Scott has certainly become more confident in the knowledge that he does know things. Both Helena and Kirsten have helped greatly in developing his skills and techniques in both subjects.

I don’t know how children get on who don’t get tutoring, especially when the lack of knowledge comes down to the teacher that the student currently has. I firmly believe that Scott would probably have struggled to get an achieved in both subjects if we hadn’t approached you.

Please pass on our thanks and best wishes to Helena and Kirsten."

Scott’s parents Susan & Bruce, November 2014
Year 11, English & Mathematics

"Thank you for teaching me this year. I have become much more confident in Maths and have even begun to enjoy it!"

Ellen, November 2010
Year 10, Mathematics

"I have seen my results online and all I can tell you is that Chemistry and Calculus were the best results I had of all!! And that was my mum and dad said too..."

Donia Hend, January 2009
Year 13, Level 2 Chemistry & Calculus

“Anna was brilliant and knew A LOT about physics. As she knows the NCEA system, she was able to help me plan out how I would answer a question and where to start, something I find particularly difficult in physics.
Something I find annoying at school is that in physics they don't tell you why a theory is the case, we are just expected to remember. Anna was able to explain why more than my teacher.”

Emma, January 2016
Year 13, Physics

“I learnt techniques on how to approach complex calculus questions, exam tips but mostly I learnt the methods required for answering questions. Calculus went from being the subject I struggled the most in compared to others and only getting achieved in the internal to me receiving the award for the top Calculus student in my class, getting all prelim exams at merit and passing all of my external papers.”

Alex, January 2016
Year 13, Calculus

“I had my Chemistry exam yesterday and my Statistics exam today. I was surprised that I wasn't worried about the chem one, but I was a bit for the stats one. They both went better than expected. I was especially proud of my knowledge of aqueous solutions, and even helped some people out before the exam. I wanted to thank you because I have improved not only in my knowledge but in my study habits!”

Alex, November 2013
Year 13, Chemistry & Statistics

“Hello Melanie. I just want to thank you for the excellent tutorials you provide.”

Ariam, July 2014
Year 13, Biology, Chemistry, Physics & Statistics

“AHeadStart is a fantastic tutoring company! With tutors who help each individual students and cater to their specific needs, and with the flexibility of being able to come to your own home. AHeadStart is definitely a tutoring company I would recommend.”

Matthew, January 2016
Year 12, Chemistry

“My aim was to better my external scores and pass all of the papers in physics. Tutoring meant that I did a lot better in my externals than I thought I would- I thought I wouldn't pass any of them, but I passed all of them and got a merit in mechanics (the one I found hardest). It helped me recall information quicker and better in my exam and by having a tutor who knew the system I was able to learn little tricks to make questions easier to answer.”

Emma, January 2016
Year 13, Physics

"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

"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

"I learnt how to take a question and work through it simply and correctly. I was taught how to properly use the formulas given, to understand and answer selected questions. I was taught the information which I needed to know for the exam which I had not been properly taught."

Danielle, December 2009
Year 12, Level 2 Physics

“To our favourite person…
We’ve really appreciated the last few years, couldn’t have done it without you! Tutorials were always a laugh and we’re going to miss you heaps! Whenever we come back to Chch we hope to see you in that little car zooming around. Love from Ashleigh and Cassie”

Ashleigh & Cassie, November 2014
Year 13, Chemistry