composite classes in a large school.

[newcastle10]

Dc's schools have 45 pupils in each year. As a result they have 2 composite classes
year1/year2
year3/year4
Both dc are going into these classes as a year 1 and year 3 respectively.
This happened to ds in year1/year2 also and I wasn't over impressed. I felt he didn't progress aswell as those in the straight year 1 class.
Any experience?

This is normal practice at our school. Next year the classes are as follows:
R/Y1, R/Y1, Y1/2, Y2/3, Y3/4, Y3/4, Y4/5, Y5/6, Y5/6. The school has no choice and the set up changes every year, depending on the funding allocation due to number of pupils.
It works here, because it is common throughout the whole school. Numeracy and literacy are taught to the whole school at the same time so that, theoretically, they can move individuals in to the group they are best suited to, but I'm not sure how often this happens out of year group.
The rest of the NC is taught in two year cycles so that, for example, a Reception chils will join a R/Y1 class and be taught the Year A curriculum with the Year 1s, and then learn the Year B curriculum when in Year 1 with the new Reception intake.
It works well here because we have a lot of Teaching Assistants, many of them with the HLTA qualification, so that the lessons can be split into smaller groups.

*child

Our nearest primary has the same size intake and does this. Reception there are two smaller classes, after which they all do a composite class every otheer year, split by age.

I'm dubious, not least because in Scotland composite classes aren't allowed for more than 25 kids in a class. Also, however good the teachers are, how can they effectively differentiate work for 30 kids with a two-year age span?

This is my concern. A previous teacher openly admitted they spent more time on the children struggling so it does worry me a little.