Maths 1/2 mixed age planning - help me please!!!!

[Sukistjames]

I'm really struggling to plan maths for my mixed yr1/2 class. We follow white rose and I really can't get my head around it
My yr1 are mostly very poor and yr2 were mostly below expected at the end of yr1.
Can anyone give me any advice please?

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I'm not sure what you mean.

There have been so so many posts like yours since the start of term, particularly on various facebook groups (not as much here). It seems as if school leaders have caught on to the fact that it's a Good Thing to use the White Rose hub planning, but haven't realised that if you are going to introduce a mastery scheme of learning then you also have to train your staff in the key principles of teaching for mastery. As a primary maths specialist trained by NCETM to support schools in introducing teaching for mastery, I'm incredibly angry about the number of teachers being thrown to the wolves. To make it work, you have to have training and you have to have appropriate resources - do it any other way and you are just setting staff up to fail.

Having said that, and as someone who until a couple of years ago taught a mixed year 1/2 class, I know that effectively teaching for mastery in a mixed age class is incredibly difficult - the expectation is that each year group will learn the objectives for their year group. This short case study www.ncetm.org.uk/resources/49022 is a useful starting point. Alternatively, if you want a longer read then this report www.babcock-education.co.uk/ldp/mixedagemastery outlines a variety of ways of approaching mixed age mastery teaching.

If you have TA support then I would very seriously consider splitting the input. You teach the year 1s while the TA monitors the year 2s doing something independently, then for the second half of the lesson you teach the year 2s while the TA supports the year 1s to carry out something based on what you've just taught them. Then the next day, the year 2s start off with independent application of what you taught them the previous day. If that fits in with your school policies of course....

If you think you can persuade your school to spend a bit of money to help you (or if you are desparate enough to spend your own money), then my favourite resource is the Maths No Problem books. As part of the primary mastery programme, the DfE evaluated all the mastery textbooks/schemes on the market against a set of criteria provided by NCETM and then complied a list of books that met those criteria, so that schools involved in the mastery programme could claim some match funding to enable them to buy their choice of books from the list. The approved list was delayed for something ridiculous like 8 months. When it was finally published we found out why. Maths No Problem was the only one that met the criteria, so the DfE published a list of 1!

Too much, thank you so much taking the time to reply.

My TA and I have been splitting them but haven't been swapping during the lesson as you suggested. I think that is an idea which would help.
I will take at look at the links and Maths No Problem but money is tight
I agree training in teaching for mastery is definitely needed for so many primary teachers.

Hamilton Trust is fabulous for mixed 1/2 or any mixed year groups. I used it last year and really rate it as it covers everything in a systematic way. Have a look: it's free, I think?!