This paper explores the impact of a specially designed programme of communicative strategies on English second language (ESL) development in a scaffolded case study that set out to promote teacher-guided, constructive learner talk in the outcomes-based education arts and culture classroom. The programme was implemented in a multilingual secondary school in Durban, South Africa, and focused on four groups of Grade 8 (aged 12-13) learners in 2003 and the same four groups of learners in Grade 9 (aged 13-14) in 2004. The paper explores the design and implementation of this programme through a description of lesson strategies which were devised and implemented with the help of educators in the school. Also described in the article are the assessment strategies used to ascertain what learning and progress in learner talk was made over a two-year period. Drawing on qualitative and quantitative data from students and educators alike, the paper demonstrates that triangulation of the findings allows a richly textured narrative to emerge of learning and progress in an otherwise under-resourced and difficult setting. (Contains 8 tables, 9 figures and 2 notes.)