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Queenstown Centre Details

About Us

The Queenstown Kip McGrath centre was established in 1998 and is now owned and managed by Martin Wightman and Jo Helby, offering private tuition to students in the Queenstown Lakes District. Martin and Jo have a firm belief in everyone's ability to change and know that the individualised tuition offered at Kip McGrath really does achieve results. Our students are happier and more confident for having experienced success in their learning.

Martin originally trained in the UK, teaching maths and science, specialising in Physics. Martin has taught science and Physics at Wakatipu High School for the last five years. He is also a qualified outdoor education instructor. Jo also trained in the UK and has seventeen years' experience working with students with specific learning difficulties, such as dyslexia or dyspraxia, and has taught in the primary and secondary sectors. Since 2003 Jo has been in charge of Literacy Learning Support at the High School. Jo is currently studying for her Masters in Literacy.

Outside of work, Martin and Jo love to enjoy the great outdoors of the Queenstown area such as mountain biking, climbing, kayaking and skiing. Martin is also an accomplished player of the trumpet. He regularly appears in Queenstown ShowBiz productions, as well as teaching trumpet. 

What We Do

At Kip McGrath material is graded so that progress is constant and accelerated. Our students work through their own individual programme, which is planned to motivate and challenge. The confidence gained through success enables them to achieve their potential.

If you have a concern about your child, it’s likely we can help.

We provide:

• Free educational assessment for all new students with expertise to identify specific learning difficulties
• Dyslexia Screening
• Individual educational programmes that get the best from each child
• 80 minute sessions including one to one teaching
• A balanced lesson of cutting edge computer programmes and traditional book work
• Regular re-assessments with parent/tutor discussions
• Ngai Tahu funding for students who qualify for this
• Sessions during study periods for High School Students
• Flexible payment options

Our Teaching Philosophy

We change children’s lives for the better! At Queenstown Kip McGrath Centre we provide a positive and supportive environment that promotes independence and boosts every child's confidence, helping them to achieve their personal best. Our team's goal is to make learning fun and successful. We believe in open communication between the child, the parent and the teacher, which helps us establish and reach academic and personal goals.

Our Educational Team

The Queenstown Kip McGrath Centre's tutors are an exceptional team who provide caring support to all students - from those needing extra maths tutoring to students wanting to push themselves further with our Extension programmes. All of the centre's tutors are handpicked and fully qualified. Our teachers are from varied teaching backgrounds and offer a wealth of experience within literacy and numeracy at primary, secondary and tertiary level.

We offer a variety of programmes and often combine them to find the best approach for your child:

Pre-School

• Ready for School ( Pencil Control, Alphabet and Phonemic awareness)

Primary School

• Little Learners - Reading, Spelling and Comprehension
• Steps – literacy program for dyslexic or low literacy learners
• Maths tutoring supporting the NZ Numeracy Programme
• Intelligence Development
• English as a Second Language

Secondary School

• Maths tuition – including Levels 1- 3 NCEA preparation
• English tuition - Reading, Spelling and Comprehension and Levels 1- 3 NCEA preparation
• Level 1 Science and Level 2 NCEA Physics, Chemistry and Biology
• Study Skills
• English as a Second Language

Tertiary Studies

• Graduate and Post Graduate tuition in Maths and Physics
• ESOL for adults
• Adult literacy 

Contact Details