Reception classes sharing one room

[StillInMyPJJs]

We recently visited a primary school for my child to start next September and the two Reception classes are in one very large classroom, so around 60 children share the overall space.
Each class has its own end of the room, with its own teacher’s desk and tables for the children, but there are also shared areas and the two classes mix together for parts of the day.
I’m just interested to hear from anyone whose child has been in a similar setup. Did you find it worked well having the two classes in one large space? Were there any particular positives or negatives?

Its similar at DS school, they can take 60 so 2 classes but only have about 40-50 intake so 2 smaller classes than the full 60. They have a teacher each and do lessons separately (there is a partition dividing the rooms slightly) but come together at certain times of the day, DS liked it and we didnt encounter any issues was nice to have them all interacting.

My DD's school was similar. They had one big space for all 60 children which was zoned into lots of different activity areas. However they also had two smaller classrooms off the main area where the children would do introductory phonics etc. In reception, lots of the day was play based, but I thought it was good that they had the classrooms for short periods of quiet concentration too. No desks, which I liked. In the phonics room they would sit on the carpet, listen to stories etc. I think it gave more flexibility for the staff too as they'd have two qualified teachers and the TAs for two classes. In reception there will be more occasions when a child needs support to regulate emotions or has an accident so staff can lean on each other more of they're all in one room together. Perhaps it could be more overwhelming for children with sensory sensitivity, social anxiety or neurodiversity. My DD was painfully shy and scared going to school but she managed it well and really came out of her shell.