The University of Strathclyde recently carried out a study into levels of attainment amongst primary school pupils who study in same-age classes and composite classes.
The research showed that pupils in different year groups who are taught together perform better.
Both literacy and numeracy levels were shown to be higher when the students learned in composite classes.
Lead researcher Dr Markus Gehrsitz said: “Our research finds that exposure to older peers is highly beneficial to early-stage primary school pupils in terms of attainment.
……By contrast, we find no evidence for adverse effects on pupils who are exposed to younger peers because they make up the upper part of a composite class.”
……While not a panacea – for instance composite classes often require more intense preparation by teachers – we would encourage policymakers to experiment more with mixed classrooms.’’
At Saint Andrew’s School we are well aware of the benefits of learning in mixed age-groups and smaller classes. However, it’s good to see that academic research agrees with us!