The school where a car ploughed into a classroom, killing two children, has reopened but the western Sydney community continues to grieve for those who died.
Just 88 of the 570 pupils returned to class at Banksia Road Public School, but specialist trauma teams were on campus to offer help to those in attendance.
Education Department secretary Mark Scott said some children saw "unimaginable sights".
Yesterday morning, 52-year-old Maha Al-Shennag drove a Toyota Kluger into a classroom of 24 students, killing two eight-year-old boys.
Three other students remain in hospital.
The ABC understands Ms Al-Shennag was a parent at the school.
NSW Education Minister Rob Stokes said it would take years for the school community to heal.
"This will be a tragedy that will have consequences for many days, many weeks, many months and many years ahead," he said.
Despite that, Mr Stokes said teachers were determined to move forward.
"Of 54 staff, only one is absent from duty today," he said.
More than 100 students and adults gathered outside the school last night to mourn the loss of the two boys.
Parents described the close-knit school as a "family".
Local MP and former principal at a nearby high school, Jihad Dib, said it was a good move to reopen the school.
"Many times schools are touchstone points in communities, and it's really important the doors and gates stay open. It is a very close-knit school community," he said.
"I know the principal has done an unbelievable job yesterday, in very difficult circumstances, supported all of the staff.
"There's been an endless flow of people who wanted to offer support, condolences. And there's a complete empathy here."
Classroom 'was not a demountable'
Mr Scott said the classroom where the crash occurred was a wooden building that had been in place for 50 years.
"It was reported that that building was a demountable classroom. It's not. It's a timber classroom of the kind of which there'll be in thousands of schools all around the country," he said.
"So it does raise questions, of course, on how this could have happened. We look forward to the crash investigators doing their research and providing us with advice in due course."
Mr Scott said authorities would investigate the situation around drop-offs in the staff car park, with traffic congestion a very real problem around NSW schools.
"Questions will be raised about it being used in that fashion. That will be a point for authorities and the coroner to look at and provide advice on," he said.
One of the first responders, a local resident, helped lift the two-tonne SUV, which had trapped one of the boys who later died.
Another boy was also taken to Westmead Hospital and later died.
Two eight-year-old girls and a nine-year-old girl were also taken to Westmead.
All three are now in a stable condition, a spokesman for the hospital said.
Police established a crime scene and Ms Al-Shennag was later charged with two counts of dangerous driving occasioning death and one count of negligent driving.
Her licence was also suspended and she was released on bail.
A spokesman for the NSW Department of Education said support services would be available at the school when students returned today.
