Furness Academy head's letter to parents about hospital conversion in full

He added: “This will free up bed capacity at the hospital for those patients in need of intensive critical care, including the use of ventilators.

“For clarity this is not a similar facility to the NHS Nightingale hospitals you may have seen reported in the media or a ‘field hospital’.

“We have said all along we will endeavour to do whatever it takes to ensure we combat this crisis together.

“So when the request came through for help it was an easy decision to make.

“The use of our school for this purpose will be temporary, a few months at most, but the people’s lives it will help to save will have many more years ahead of them.

“To put this into perspective, and as far as I am aware, the last school that was redesignated as a hospital was Cambridge Primary School in August 1914 at the start of the First World War.

“Our community is fortunate that the facilities and building layout of Furness Academy are suitable to provide not only additional space for beds and care for patients but also facilities for washing and personal hygiene, rest areas for NHS workers, catering for patients and NHS workers as well as access to the school network and WiFi.

“Whatever perspective you view this from it is undoubtedly the right thing to do.

“Equipment is being installed throughout this week with the assistance of Ministry of Defence troops who are supporting preparations across Cumbria.

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I am sure you will agree that it is better to act now and put this provision in place in case it is needed, rather than wait and see

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“As the author Helen Keller taught us: ‘It is OK to have butterflies in your stomach; just get them to fly in formation’.

“I am hopeful that by doing all that we can, with the NHS, the Cumbrian authorities and you, we can fly in formation and do this together.”