This paper presents a case-study exploration of how federal and state government policy and Education Acts are interpreted and enacted at school level through the implementation of the International Student Program in Victoria, Australia. Understanding policy and its enactment as multi-layered and often "messy" to frame through our analysis, we examine interview data, key statements from policy documents and media reports. This case-study of the challenges arising from the enactment of ISP policy in a particular inner-city Australian secondary school context, provides a unique view of the challenges government schools encounter from government, school, and student perspectives.