HOW are we going to tell our children? That’s the worry for parents of children at Courthill First School reeling from the tragic death of little Chris Hall.

Tricia Williams, the clinical director of Dorset-based child bereavement charity Mosaic, said parents of children who knew Chris should not attempt to tell them the entire story at once.

“The best way is to go one step at a time and to give very small pieces of information in a way that children understand,” she said.

“They should say they have some very sad news, that they have heard that Chris has died and that he won’t be coming back to school.

“It’s really important that parents help children to understand that Chris won’t be coming back and that it’s very sad because they won’t be able to see him again.

“Some children at the age of five or six don’t understand that death is permanent.”

She added that choosing an everyday situation like meal times to break the news would reduce the chance of upsetting the child.

“Say it in as normal a way as possible. If parents used a hushed tone or take the child to one side, the child’s nerves will be heightened,” said Ms Williams.

Reassurance was crucial once parents had told their children of the death.

“If the child cries, or the parent is crying as they tell the child, the best thing is to reassure the child that it’s normal to cry in situations like that,” she said.

“The child may have heard of other children who have died, or seen something on the news, so its important to reassure the child that they are not going to die, and that mummy and daddy are not going to die.”