[1][2] After coming to power in 1992, then-Victorian Premier Jeff Kennett embarked on an array of budget cuts in an attempt to restore the state's flagging finances.

Community groups decided to occupy the site, in an attempt to prevent its sale, and in a widely publicised campaign, maintained a 24-hour vigil for fourteen months.

People occupied the site in four-hour shifts, or slept overnight in the principal's office or administration wing.

In 1993, the state government finally struck a deal with the local community, and the Kangan Batman TAFE was allowed to use the site.

A building program, comprising a unique design to facilitate the school's learning philosophy, was completed in 2009 to increase accommodation for up to 600 students in years 7–12.