Edward Acton, vice-chancellor of UEA, commissioned the review on the school¡¯s future following on from a similar review undertaken in 2002.

He said that ¡°difficult decisions¡± had to be made after it found that continuing to fund music at UEA may divert resources from, and possibly put at risk, other disciplines.

¡°In a harsh and increasingly competitive and market-focused environment, that is a step that UEA cannot afford to take,¡± Professor Acton said.

However, opposition to the decision, which has yet to be ratified by the university¡¯s council, has already started to mount.

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A petition launched this week, which has attracted nearly 3,000 signatures to date including that of musician and television presenter Jools Holland, describes the school as a ¡°vital and current part of an inter-institutional community of practice and research¡±.

In a statement, the organisers claimed the UEA review had been a fig leaf to support a ¡°foregone conclusion¡±.

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¡°The creative and performing arts clearly present administrative and accounting challenges in the current climate,¡± the statement says.

¡°Other institutions have met these with creative solutions; instead of commissioning a review to confirm the unsustainability of the status quo, we would ask UEA to think harder about how to do so.¡±

The School of Music at UEA currently ranks in the top 20 for student satisfaction in the National Student Survey.

Although the school¡¯s RAE scores fell significantly between the 2001 and 2008 exercises, the campaigners claimed that this was ¡°not that surprising¡± given the introduction of a new degree course and the doubling of the undergraduate intake.

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Professor Acton said that, regardless of the council¡¯s decision, UEA was ¡°determined to ensure that current students in the school are strongly supported and are able to complete their studies successfully¡±.

The recommendations from the report will be presented to UEA¡¯s senate on 9 November. A final decision on the school¡¯s future is expected after a council meeting on 28 November.

sarah.cunnane@tsleducation.com