This article reports on the small-scale evaluation of a school-based action research project, focusing on the creation of teaching materials aimed at developing tools for multilingualism for pupils aged 7-14. This three-year project was launched in September 2004 in 12 state primary schools and two secondary schools in two local authorities in the south of England. The paper describes the evolution of the project, its main aims and activities, together with key findings from the qualitative evaluation. This comprised scrutiny of substantial documentation generated through: the project's own internal evaluation; interviews with project team members and a sample of primary pupils; observation of two project lessons, and the participation in language tasks by 28 primary and six secondary pupils. A notable feature of the project was the collaboration of teachers from primary and secondary phases, as well as from two curriculum areas, English and modern languages, in the production of materials to support beginning language learners in developing their knowledge of language. (Contains 2 figures and 4 notes.)