More than 180 Victorian schools are facing legal action over claims of historical child abuse as the government weighs up expanding a probe into allegations.

Arnold Thomas & Becker Lawyers is pursuing matters on behalf of almost 300 former students who allege they were sexually abused.

Brighton Grammar in Melbourne’s southeast and Christian Brothers College at Warrnambool on the state’s southwest coast were facing most claims from the firm as of Wednesday, with 12 apiece.

Eight former students had levelled claims at Rosebud High School on the Mornington Peninsula, making it Arnold Thomas & Becker’s third-highest caseload for Victorian school-based abuse claims.

The vast majority of schools in question have one or two former students pursuing claims.

However abuse practice head Kim Price believes more alleged victims are yet to come forward.

“When we first hear about abuse at a school, our investigations often reveal there are multiple victims of a single predator,” Mr Price said in a statement.

“School should be a place where children feel safe. Instead, we are hearing from students from across the country that they have been subjected to sexual abuse by teachers and other members of school staff.”

The schools the law firm is pursuing cut across Victoria’s education sector and include both primary and secondary, public, religious, independent and specialist.

More than 70 state schools are among those facing claims.

Some knew about allegations but failed to follow up or instead sought to cover up abuse, Mr Price alleged.

“We are working with hundreds of clients who, as children, endured severe sexual, physical and psychological abuse throughout their formative years and that has had a profound impact on the rest of their lives,” he said.

The Victorian government in June moved to set up a special board of inquiry into allegations surrounding Beaumaris Primary School in Melbourne’s southeast in the 1960s and 1970s.

At least three former staff – who also worked at other government schools – are believed to have been involved in the abuse.

Education Minister Natalie Hutchins on Wednesday said it was quite possible the inquiry would be expanded in light of the fresh allegations.

“The terms of reference do allow for an expansion,” she told reporters at state parliament.

“The Beaumaris situation is a unique situation in that there were multiple predators involved in that case.

“We think the reach and the effects of their offending has gone beyond the school gates and certainly there may be other cases that arise and we’ve accommodated for that.”

The state government has promised an apology to abused former Beaumaris students.

About $4.5 million was expected to be set aside to support victim-survivors and run the inquiry, which was intended to establish an official record of the school’s victim-survivors and examine abuse by staff members.

Mr Price said victims needed more than an apology.

He warned against abused former students resorting to the government’s redress scheme, which offered capped compensation of $150,000 for individuals.

Each of the alleged victims could receive multi-million dollar payouts, Mr Price said.

The schools Arnold Thomas & Becker is pursuing also include St Patrick’s College at Ballarat, Cathedral College, De La Salle College, Derinya Primary School, Geelong Grammar School and Kardinia International College among others.

– AAP