Sir Kenneth Robinson in one of his speeches raised doubts about educating children according to their age group.
A summation of the claim, that starts at 06:34 of the video, is that our current system of education is modelled on the interests and image of industrialization. Schools resemble a factory production line, where children are educated in batches, put through the system by age group.
Sir Kenneth argues that the assumption that the most common thing kids have is their age, their "date of manufacture", is incorrect and hurtful to creativity and the learning process and the model of education should shift away from standardization and towards divergent thinking, starting by organizing students into classes based on their skills and interests.
Seeing how most education systems divide students by age, it appears that there is a common belief that, even if it's not the best way to learn, it's an acceptable and not counter-productive model.
Is there any research or any other evidence to dispute or confirm that claim?