Take three hands-up answers, not open call-outs. Listen for pupils who instinctively reach for a letter and a number, and for any who name them in the wrong order — hold that for later.

Point at the column letters as you read across, then run your finger down to the row number — the physical sweep is what fixes the order. Give the class a moment to look, cue them to call the reference together, and only then say the confirmation aloud yourself.

• Castle — the class should call E4; confirm aloud "column E, row 4, so E4", and watch for anyone saying "4E".
• Star — the class should call B2; confirm "B takes you across to the second column, 2 takes you down to the second row, so B2". Letter and number match here, so it shows the direction each part sends you, not the size.
• Key — the class should call A1; confirm "top-left corner, column A, row 1, so A1". Useful because pupils often forget columns and rows both start counting at their edge.

Talk this one through together — pupils take turns at the board and the class agrees or corrects out loud.

Write a square's reference on a slip of paper and keep it to yourself, then have a pupil tap where they think it is and read the reference back off the grid. Insist the letter is said before the number every single time — the moment someone says "3A", stop and let the class self-correct. The corner square F1 is the trap: it lives in the very last column, so watch that pupils count the columns all the way across.

This is the practice round — pupils take turns at the board, check each answer, and the class confirms before moving on. Keep the board work brisk rather than over-explaining.

The last two are the stretch: naming a square from a marker reverses the skill, and F6 sits in the far bottom-right corner where pupils lose count of the columns. If a pupil hesitates, prompt "start at A and count the columns across first".