It was an afternoon recess on what should have been an ordinary, sunny spring Tuesday at Auburn South primary school.

Within the grounds of the Melbourne school, five primary school students were seated around an outdoor table overlooking a soccer pitch. Moments later, the scene turned to one of horror.

It was at about 2.30pm, an hour before school pick-up, that a white Toyota SUV ploughed through the school’s fence and into the table.

The female driver of the car had just collected a child from the Hawthorn East school and was attempting a U-turn when the fatal collision occurred, police later said.

By Wednesday morning, the Auburn South primary school community was grappling with the tragedy – a grade 5 boy was dead and four other students seriously injured.

Jack Davey, 11, suffered critical injuries in the crash and died on Tuesday evening while being transported to hospital. Four other students – three girls and one boy, aged between 10 and 11 – remain in hospital. All were in a stable condition on Wednesday evening, according to Monash Health and the Royal Children’s Hospital.

On Wednesday morning, during the school drop-off, a small floral tribute began to grow outside the school fence on Burgess Street, metres from where the nightmarish scenes had unfolded.

The crash site remained fenced off and police officers could be seen roaming along the street as parents dropped students off.

One boy laid flowers before turning to his father who scooped him into his arms.

Some families simply lingered to read the messages.

One letter described the “darling boy who has passed into this next life”.

In one of the photos, provided to the media by Davey’s family, he is holding a tiny brown puppy, grinning at the camera.

As the school day commenced on Wednesday morning, the school principal, Marcus Wicher, crossed the road to meet the media throng.

Flanked by two colleagues for support, he said the school’s thoughts were with Davey’s family and the four students who remained in hospital.

“We are entirely focused, as a community, on the welfare of our students, staff and [the] broader school community,” he said.

He described the response from the local community as “overwhelming and thanked staff and students who had helped comfort students on Tuesday.

“The courage and care can only be described as remarkable,” he said.

“This school community is so wonderful and strong, and together we will get through this.”

Earlier, the state’s education minister, Ben Carroll, had attended the school to meet with staff.

Carroll and the premier, Jacinta Allan, also confirmed that 25 teachers from neighbouring schools had been deployed to the primary school and nearby Auburn high school, along with chaplaincy and counselling services.

Allan had earlier urged Victorian families to seek support if needed and “hold our little ones really tight”.

“I’ve got a little boy in grade 5 in a local primary school, and I think we all felt so sick to the stomach yesterday afternoon when we heard that news,” she told the ABC.

Speaking at parliament, Allan told reporters her thoughts were with the family of Davey, the grieving school community, and “the families of the other kids who are continuing to receive care in our hospital system as they go through what are, in some instances, quite serious injuries”.

“This is a tragedy that touches everyone,” she said.

“Every Victorian would have had their stomach lurch in the same way that mine did yesterday afternoon when we received the awful news of this accident.

“For those of us who have done the school drop-off and pick-up, you also feel this quite acutely.”

Speaking at the scene of the fatal incident on Tuesday evening, Victoria police inspector Craig McEvoy said it was too early to determine what exactly had occurred but it appeared to be a “tragic accident”.

He confirmed that the 40-year-old woman who was behind the wheel of the car, and the child who was a passenger, were not injured in the collision.

Early on Wednesday police said the Hawthorn East woman, who was arrested at the scene, had been released, pending further enquiries.

Victoria police’s media team on Wednesday afternoon issued a warning to members of the media who had staked out the home of the driver, urging them to leave the address.

“It’s causing deep distress to family, including young children,” a statement said.

No charges have been laid.