As the 2010 deadline for implementation of the National Languages Strategy in primary schools approaches, how effective is the current national strategy likely to be in embedding modern languages successfully into the primary curriculum? Have lessons been learnt from the last--and ultimately failed--attempt to introduce languages into the curriculum, or are we merely repeating the same flawed process? This paper reports on how four primary schools in the north of England are responding to the challenges of integrating modern languages into the curriculum and asks whether appropriate conditions are being established to ensure a successful and sustainable implementation of the primary languages entitlement. (Contains 2 notes.)