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.

No, yours is def more usual. Our school doesn’t have a nursery, but reception is in their own classroom with their own outdoor space. Mixed year classes begin at year 1&2.

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!

That's what I figured, makes sense to me anyway, which is why I'm interested to see the results of the trial my DD's school is doing, though a one year trial (at least I think its only one year they're trying it for) isn't really going to show much I suppose.

The biggest pro for us was knowing that our child would definitely get into the school. The reason for the mixed year groups is set and guaranteed catchments.

I see it as a necessary evil to make that work.

He was one of the younger ones and fine academically but socially has been harder. The older ones spent the first year or two flexing their age.