Schools are bracing for major disruptions to classes on Friday as a result of Melbourne's train strike, with one school expecting half of its students will be forced to stay home.
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Metro staff are preparing to walk off the job between 10am and 2pm on Friday, in Melbourne's first train strike in nearly 20 years.
Between 150-200 buses will replace trains between 8:30-9:30am to help kids get to school, but they will not run as frequently as trains.
Christian Brothers' College principal Gerald Bain-King said between 40 and 50 per cent of students commute to his school by train, with many travelling from suburbs in Melbourne's inner west and inner north.
"It is a concern, most of our students come by train. The best thing we can do is deal with a reduction in numbers. It's not something we will be able to control," he said.
Teachers may need to reconsider how much content they teach on Friday to ensure students staying at home are not disadvantaged, he said.
"We won't be able to teach a normal lesson if we will have to catch up so many students," Mr Bain-King said.
"The major concern is that students won't do any learning in the day."
Mr Bain-King said parents of year 7 students who travel to school by train may consider skipping a day of work to supervise their kids.
"I imagine some of the parents of year 7 students will have to stay home … some parents may not feel comfortable leaving them unsupervised. That could raise some challenges for parents."
Australian Principals Federation Victorian president Julie Podbury said the train strike could also affect teachers commuting to inner-city schools.
Principals may need to consider combining classes or resorting to emergency teaching agencies to fill teacher gaps, she said.
"Schools would be canvassing staff now to determine who will struggle to make it in tomorrow, and cover classes with emergency teachers.
"If they end up with less students than anticipated, they may combine classes. It will be a difficult day, I imagine."
The Education Department has told school principals to alert parents of the disruptions, and to ensure students have access to alternative travel arrangements.
But a department spokeswoman said she did not expect there would be a "major impact" on school staff or student attendance.
