Is having two year groups in one class necessarily a negative thing?

[CarlaTheGnome]

My instinct is to feel that teaching Reception and Yr1, for example, together in one room with one teacher cannot possibly be as effective as having separate classes tailored to each year group. Can any primary teachers or parents with experience of this give me some insight? There may be advantages to doubled-up classes, or at the very least no evidence of it being detrimental to the children, but all I can see from my perspective is the disadvantage of having so many disparate abilities and needs in one room.

It really does depend on the quality of the teaching and the PAs. The class size is likely to be small which is a perk. I would look at the school's rating. We have a local school with shared classes that is outstanding.

My DS, who was ahead in math, was able to do work with the year level up, which actually made it easier for his teacher as he had a cohort. Once he was in the eldest year group they made sure they put the top students into the same class but they still had a smaller cohort so the teacher needed to spend more time with them than they otherwise would.

It's always easier if you have a cohort for the students and that can be both easier and harder to manage with mixed classes.

I had this at Primary school, and thought it was normal at the time. Yrr6 was a waster though, I had done it all in Yr5. Even Yr5 I was taught maths by being given the extension text book and told to work through it... Occasionally the head would come and take the extension group.

Socially it can be tricky too. Its great if they all get on. But Fallings out can be amplified as it can just split the group.

My DM went to an actual tiny school... Two classes for 5-13yos. There were 3 kids in her year. The nearest girl in age was her sister who was 18 months younger than her. She said it could be rather lonely, but it was just unfortunate around her age group there was a lot more boys than girls.

As a teacher it's challenging, of course...but I do feel that there are more pros than cons for the children (if it's well managed by the teacher, obviously). I've taught mixed Y1/2 and 3/4 classes, plus for two years I taught in a VERY rural island school with only 17 children...I was the only teacher! I had a couple of Reception children, 4 y1s, 3 Y2s and 2 of each KS2 year groups.

Challenging is an understatement! But I loved it...the children were stellar, and very supportive of each other. I had a very supportive TA and some parent helpers, which kept me just about sane 🤣

You have disparate abilities and needs in all classrooms.

This.

My children's school do exactly this, but they have such small classes (rural) that the y1/2 class actually gets continuous provision too... each child gets so much attention for individual/small group work that yhey don't need to be sat at a desk all day. They're really lucky.

Any class that you teach is essentially made up of some children in the year above and below, ability-wise. All teachers are differentiating for that already.

So although I can see the particular challenges, it might work quite well.

It depends if your kid is smart, because then they end up doing more advanced work

Some classes have children from 3 or 4 year groups. Makes no difference as all teaching is needs led and a high level of differentiation goes into all classes, just means groups are mixed in age. Often younger children are more able than older children but as teaching is not generic that is irrelevant.

I think it partly depends on whether a school is used to doing mixed classes or if they are being forced into it due to falling rolls.

My daughters primary did this. I was sceptical but didn’t see any detriment, it has an outstanding ofstead rating if that makes any difference.

it is in the catchment for the local grammar and sends a decent cohort each year (appreciate that can be down to different factors ie tuition but the school must be doing something right).

My children's school do exactly this, but they have such small classes (rural) that the y1/2 class actually gets continuous provision too... each child gets so much attention for individual/small group work that yhey don't need to be sat at a desk all day. They're really lucky.

That sounds brilliant and you're right they are very fortunate. Unfortunately in my experience for many other children this is a sad rarity and instead they do indeed suffer in their reception year by being with older year groups and being expected to fit into KS1 style provision instead of the KS1 children having access to free flow and continuous provision.

Our local school now has a mixed yr R, yr 1 and yr 2. I think it's a disaster! it's just too hard IMO and the turn over of teachers is high.

It works really well , I was in a mixed year group when I was 8 and that was 42 years ago. Lovely memories.

More recently, at ds's secondary school all form classes were mixed, so you have 12 year olds with 6th formers, worked really well.

I don't like the mixed classes. Our school has an intake of 45, so they have 2 reception classes of 22-23 kids each, which is good. Then a y1 class, a y1/2 class, a y2 class, and so on...

My son was in the mixed y1/2 class last year and didn't get on well. He's in the y2 class this year and so much better. Other parents have also said they don't like the mixed classes.

I do wonder in that situation whether it would be better to have 3 mixed y1/2 classes instead. Then they can properly share planning, and all the children get the same experience.

My primary school didn't fully mix years but in year 5 they put the top pupils into a year 6 class while the rest were in the year 5 class. Worked well for me at least.

At my daughter's school they're currently doing a trial with preschool and the first two years where for some lessons they put them in ability groups mixed between the year groups but for other lessons they stay with their own year group.

My primary school didn't fully mix years but in year 5 they put the top pupils into a year 6 class while the rest were in the year 5 class. Worked well for me at least.

At my daughter's school they're currently doing a trial with preschool and the first two years where for some lessons they put them in ability groups mixed between the year groups but for other lessons they stay with their own year group.

Dunno why that sent twice

I don't like it. Only one class should be in a classroom ideally.

I also should have said the school only had 3 teachers and a head so they didn't have any choice but to mix the year groups. That's the challenge with funding and small schools

We had 4 years in one class at my primary school - 3,4,5 and 6 together with one teacher. I seem to remember mainly all being taught together and then we would work through maths books etc at our own pace. I tended to play with children from my own year at play time and play dates so guess there must have been some things we just did with our year to lead to that.
At secondary school I was surprised for a couple of years at how far ahead I was compared to the children from the larger primary schools so it certainly didn't hold me back.

if you’re a bright kid, and one of the younger in the class, it will work well for you as you’ll be stretched working with the year above. But the next year you’ll be one of the bright ones in the older year group and it will be harder for the teacher to stretch you. Opposite if you’re one of the ones who struggle.

it’s much harder for teachers to manage. In the olden days it was probably easier, as you taught children to the level they were working at. Now there is a big focus on keeping everyone in their yeargroup and not moving kids beyond that especially in maths, and there are set objectives for each year group in things like maths and science, which makes it harder to manage.

it can work well and I’m sure for lots of kids it’s fine. But if it was as wonderful as some previous posters are making out, big schools would be opting to have mixed age classes - and they don’t. They choose to keep year groups separate, which suggests to me that’s the best thing. I have a headteacher friend who told me all the research suggests single year group is best, but have to confess I have not bothered to go an read the research myself!

DD starts at our village school this year which has this and it’s really interesting to read all these views. I’m pretty sure here it’s school nursery in with reception, not reception and year 1. Is that unusual if I’m right or does it seem unlikely? Really should do some research…

Nursery in with reception is better in my experience and opinion as they are both working within the same curriculum the EYFS. Reception and year 1 work on 2 separate curriculums and as I said above in my experience of such a mix the settings tend to expect the Reception children to fit into the KS1 curriculum which is not in the best interests of the children. I would definitely be enquiring if I were you as there is a huge difference depending on how they have split it.