Olivia Pratt-Korbel's classmates watch her favourite film 'Matilda' while funeral takes place

The classmates of Olivia Pratt-Korbel watched a screening of her favourite film as nearby mourners attended the nine-year-old's funeral service.

Children at St Margaret Mary's Catholic Junior School in Huyton did not attend the service at neighbouring St Margaret Mary's Church, instead they spent the afternoon watching her favourite film Roald Dahl's 'Matilda'.

Schoolmates were also allowed to wear pink nail varnish, after Olivia once wore it to school and spent the day hiding her hands from her teachers.

A book of condolence was available for both children and staff to sign at a pink memorial shrine.

Flowers were also laid at the newly planted 'Olivia's Tree' in the school grounds.

Olivia's Headteacher Rebecca Wilkinson

Olivia's headteacher Rebecca Wilkinson penned the first message: "To Beautiful Olivia, You radiated kindness, you radiated humility, but most of all you radiated joy. Thank you for the happiness that you brought to St Margaret Mary's Junior School. God Bless You, Mrs Wilkinson xxx."

Olivia was shot dead in her home on Kingsheath Avenue, Dovecot, at around 10pm on Monday 22 August by a gunman chasing 35-year-old Joseph Nee.

Nee had barged inside her house to try to escape after Olivia's mum, Cheryl Korbel, heard loud bangs and opened her front door to see what was going on.

So far, nine people have been arrested in connection with Olivia's murder, but no-one has yet been charged.

Olivia will be laid to rest, three and half weeks after the shooting.

Her headteacher Rebecca Wilkinson said Olivia "oozed kindness" and would be remembered for her smile.

She said: "She’d walk into my room with her friends and that smile would just light up the room.

"You would hope this would never happen again, not in any school. It’s not something I would wish upon any headteacher.

"The loss of any child in a school is tragic, the loss of a child with so much personality makes it doubly hard."

The school's 480 pupils have been offered counselling since returning from their summer holidays, and Merseyside Police have also said Home Office funding will be used to provide therapeutic support to other children in the area affected by the devastating loss.

Mrs Wilkinson said: "We have had counsellors in every class. That’s definitely helped and what has been great is how resilient the children have been.

"They are devastated at the loss of their friend, they truly are, but the counselling has definitely helped and we have been so proud of the resilience the children have shown since they’ve been back."

During the service, prayers will be written in school and an art project of flowers put together in Olivia's memory.

In an emotional video shared via Merseyside Police, mum Cheryl spoke of her pain and urged those responsible to come forward.

She said: "Everyone that she met, they all fell in love with her. She left a mark on everyone that she met and she may well have only been nine but she packed a lot into them nine years.

"She hurt your ears because she never, never, stopped talking and that's what I miss the most, because I can't hear her talk. I'm hoping that they come forward so this doesn't happen to anybody else.

"You know you have done wrong so you need to own up, like I've taught my kids. You do something wrong, you own up to it.

"If anyone is hiding these guns they need to speak up, because they need to be off these streets. No one at all should have to go through this."

Her dad, John Francis Pratt, also shared a statement saying: "Words can’t express the pain we are going through after Olivia was so cruelly snatched away from us. Those responsible need to know what they have done."

Tory peer Lord Ashcroft, the founder of charity Crimestoppers, announced he had personally provided a £50,000 reward for new information leading to the conviction of her killers.

On Monday police search teams began scouring the grounds around West Derby Golf Club following a tip-off that the murder weapons had been dumped there. The search remains ongoing.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Crimestoppers via its online form here or by calling 0800 555 111