A woman has been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving after the crash at The Study Preparatory School in Camp Road.

The driver stopped at the scene and police have asked the public not to speculate.

10 people were taken to hospital following the incident.

A major incident was declared, and people were urged to avoid the area, as a large cordon extending around the school was put in place by police.

Speaking at the scene, Mr Hammond told the PA news agency: “It was very clear, very quickly, that it was a major incident and the local police declared it just that.

“I think you will have seen by the sheer scale of the response from the paramedics, air ambulance, fire brigade and the police what an important and serious incident this is.

“And what a sad incident – it is tragically on the last day of term, for this young girl to have lost her life.

“This is a well-liked, well-respected, well-known school.

“Most of the children who go here will be Wimbledon families, and this will cause shock across the whole of the local community.”

Chief Paramedic Dr John Martin from the London Ambulance Service told reporters: “At 9.54 we received a 999 call to a collision on Camp Road in Wimbledon.

“We dispatched multiple resources including specialist critical care paramedics, London’s air ambulance and 15 ambulances.

“We declared a major incident. We treated 16 patients on scene. Sadly, as we’ve heard, one eight-year-old girl died.”

Wimbledon MP Stephen Hammond told the PA news agency that children at The Study Preparatory School were having a party when the incident happened.

The Conservative politician said: “I think it was a usual end-of-year celebration party. Just in the garden.

“As I understand it, they were inside the school but outside the classroom.”