While Government commitments to supporting instruction in languages other than English have largely been honoured, bilingual education as a form of learning has not been widespread. Acknowledging the benefits of learning a language other than English, the most recent Australian national languages policy statement nonetheless makes no mention of bilingual education as a possible mechanism by which this or other policy goals might be achieved. As such, those primary schools offering bilingual learning opportunities for students from immigrant and refugee backgrounds operate in a sociopolitical and educational climate that offers little support for such pedagogical initiatives. The result is that these schools--even those with long-established traditions of offering bilingual education--need to remain focused on the theory-informed pedagogical principles that underpin these programs. This is essential in order that these bilingual education programs are rigorously defended in a national context that frequently undervalues linguistic and cultural diversity, and marginalises ESL issues. This article reports on one primary school setting and the perspectives students, parents, and staff have articulated recently in relation to bilingual education.