The Ofqual board discussed the departure of chief regulator Sally Collier in her absence, two days before she resigned, papers published today reveal.

At an emergency meeting on Sunday 23 August, the board noted that it would need to “act swiftly” to “rebuild Ofqual’s reputation” in the event of the chief regulator’s exit.

Ms Collier was absent at that meeting, at the end of GCSE results week, for which her apologies were “received and accepted”, the minutes show.

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Tes revealed that Ms Collier was standing down as chief regulator of the exams watchdog two days later, on Tuesday 25 August.

The minutes for the meeting on 23 August state: “The board noted that should the chief regulator resign, then the board would need to act swiftly to prevent the loss of senior skilled staff, to strengthen the organisation’s capabilities and to rebuild Ofqual’s reputation.”

Other sections of the minutes have been redacted.