Display the yard map with the compass rose as pupils come in. Take two or three hands-up answers on which way is east? before confirming east is to the right. Give five seconds of quiet think-time on the gate-to-hall route, then take one pupil's route.

Read the gate and hall positions off the board so every pupil has the same starting picture. The route works out as east 2, then north 2. Trace it on the map with a finger so the class sees the heading stay the same the whole way along each leg.

Aoife and Cian start on the same square, both told turn right. Aoife faces north, right hand points east, walks east. Cian faces south, right hand points west, walks west. Same words, opposite directions — draw out why: a turn depends on the direction you were already facing.

Then run the grid route: east 3, then north 2, starting from the marked square. Point to the compass rose — east is east and north is north from anywhere, so this route traces the same path for everyone.

Keep it light: a heading never depends on where you stand, a turn always does.

This round is for talking it through together, so pupils take turns at the board and the class agrees or corrects out loud. No marking yet.

Reveal and work one route at a time rather than showing them all at once. On the grid, north is up, east is to the right, south is down and west is to the left. Before each move, ask the class to predict which way the marker slides.

For the going-back part, walk it one step at a time on the board: send the marker out east 3 then north 2, then bring it home south 2 then west 3, saying last out, first back as you undo each move. This is the reversing method pupils will use in the Class Challenge, so make sure they see it land on the start square.

Pupils tracing on the grid_map printable at their seats can pencil each finish square, which helps if the board is far away.

Practice questions: pupils take turns at the board, class confirms, keep it brisk. Predict the finish square before the marker moves. Pupils can plot finishes on the grid_map printable at their seats.

Worked reverse (do this on the board before the final challenge, real numbers end to end):

• Original: east 3, then north 2.
• Opposite order first: north 2, then east 3.
• Flip headings: south 2, then west 3.
• Say last out, first back as you write it. Trace south 2, west 3 from the far square so the class sees it land on the start.

Then set the final interactive challenge: reverse that same route and plot the return square (start at (2, 1)).

Slip to catch: pupil flips the headings but keeps the same order (west 3, then south 2). Ask them to trace it and see it misses the start. Fix: opposite directions AND opposite order. Have them write the reverse directions on the board or in copy before they plot.