This paper reports on a sociocultural study conducted in a Catholic primary school in the Australian outback and provides insights into how policy related to Languages Other Than English (LOTE) programmes is implemented in a specific location and interwoven within the literacypracticesof children, parents and teachers.A case study that tracked a Year Four student's learning and development during a Language and Culture Awareness Programme is discussedwithin a discourse of cultural and linguistic practices. Significant aspects of the student's learning related to a phenomenon calledmulti-tieredscaffolding temporarilydisrupted the establishedliteracy practices in the school community. Implications of the research for second-language teaching and learning in Australian primary schools are elaborated.