Parents have claimed victory in a fight to have an earlier bus service enabling their children to get to school in time, after a later service made them repeatedly late for lessons.

Students from the Tamar Valley and Callington area have been regularly late since the school term started after a scheduled 7.50am Cornwall Go service became an 8.20am service.

This meant students have been 40 minutes late and were required to present a college late-pass from school reception, to show each day, proving to teachers why they were not on time.

Despite assurances that the timetable would provide a regular morning service ealier enough for children, parents and students were caught unawares by the change.

Pupils ended up standing at bus stops in Gunnislake, for instance, waiting for a bus that did not arrive at the earlier time., or parents have taken them to school themselves.

Fed-up parents mobilised through social media and campaigned by contacting Go Cornwall and the county council bus transport services of Devon and Cornwall and the college.

In an announcement about the change, a Go Cornwall spokesman said: ‘We are aware of the issues on the 79 with the school trip.

‘We have worked on a fix that will move the bus forward with an earlier start which will be live from October 3. Information will be published on our website and social media next week.’

Loz Wakeham, who has a child at Tavistock College, said: ‘It’s fantastic news to hear that an earlier bus service will now be scheduled to enable all the affected students to get to school on time. It’s great to know that once the college and Go Bus were made aware of the ongoing daily issue, that they’ve been able to act swiftly to rectify the matter. It’s one less obstacle for the children and to know they can get to school on time and safely is one less worry as a parent.’

She said her child was in the first year at Tavistock College and the later buses caused them both stress. She said: ‘This has caused worry about their education, what parent wouldn’t be worried? This is their first year at the school and without the pandemic and this has how it’s started.’

About 30 children are affected and Loz’s child has been late every day - that is 13 times since the start of term on September 7 and missed the first part of or almost all the first lesson. Another mother of a daughter in her GCSE year said she was given detention for being late due to the bus.

Cornwall County Council pays for the children’s bus passes for the bus - a regular public service