Mixed year group classes

[Kathryn1983]

Hi all

looking for honest opinions both good and bad of mixed classes from parents and teachers

for reference my daughters school has a 40-45 intake each year so in reception this year 30 ish were together in a purely reception class but the oldest 10-15 were put in a class with the 10-15 youngest of the year one group.

now she is moving to year 1 herself she is now going to be one year 1 children bundled in with the older reception kids and to be frank I'm not happy and i genuinely can't see any benefits of this approach for the year 1s.

they will then still have a class as purely year 1 and then a mixed year 1/2 class so I'm not sure why her class is now split in 3?!

I can see a benefit for a bright older child to be in with the year above I just struggle to see equal benefits to the older kids to be in with the year below

we've been told they'll do ks1 activities in her cohort but no practical information about how the teachers manage this even half the kids are still foundational level and have different needs

I'm honestly dreading it and hugely questioning my choice of school

for info we had no clue this was a thing until after acceptance of her place

I can see if a school keeps 2 year groups together throughout school how it might work but it seems they shuffle them about year on year which also frustrated me as she's now separated from 20 ish kids she's been with for a year

they indicated the decision was not based on age yet only August and July born kids are impacted

Also should I take this as an indication there is an issue with her progression/ ability/ behavior at school as they claim they looked at several factors or just take that with a pinch of salt and assume it was just age but they don't want to admit that

we've had zero indication in reports and parents evening that she was anything but thriving and either at expected or above

her group for phonics is split over the two new classes so I assume ability wise they were comparable

It does seem a strange way of doing it. My dd primary mixes years 1&2 (key stage 1) 3&4 (lower ks 2) and then 5&6 (upper ks 2) There are 3 classes per stage, and it works very well.
I'd want to know the criteria for whom goes where

We do split year groups but EYFS stay separate and I believe they should. Elements of a free flow way of learning are incorporated into the KS1 curriculum but we're split classes for 1/2, 3/3 and 5/6. This is our third year of doing it and it can make things tricky but we make it work.

Our junior school suddenly started mixing classes up last year and I'm not a fan I'm afraid. Reduces the chances of the children being with a friend from their year group, and makes things more tricky with the teaching, esp with things like PSHE. The schools reason for doing it was lack of funds/budget for enough teachers to have non split year classes, which I think is sad. They have 30ish kids per class, which is too many imo (lots of high need in this area).

My youngest is currently in a split year 4/5 class and finds out tomorrow what the plan is for next year. We're both nervous.

Mixing year groups in classes is common where we are but I've never heard of the classes changing year on year they all do
reception
then years 1 and 2 together
3/4
5/6
and the kids stay in that class with that teacher for 2 years
I see little benefits or negatives in our school
see if you can speak to the head

I'm hoping to speak to the Head next week as not only have they mixed up all the children again, but they're 5/6 splits in the morning and then mixed up again in the afternoons for straight year group classes for four out of five classes...the letter is so confusing, and some children will have two or three teachers each day. My ds has also, for the second year running, not been put with any of his eight or so good friends.

He came out of school very upset yesterday, and had been all day.