Exam week - why do we bother?

It's exam week in the prep school world: three and a bit days of papers in all the usual subjects which our anxious 13 year-olds are sitting in order to secure entry to the senior independent schools of their choice. It's called 'Common Entrance' (CE), and marks the academic culmination of their prep school careers; it has been the point of focus for them and their parents over the past two or three years, generating stress, sweat and tears in the process. The children's teachers, of course, are anxious for their charges to do well in their own subjects and, being very familiar with the pattern of CE papers, are well experienced in all the usual exam techniques. A senior colleague selflessly gave up a day of his half-term break two weeks ago to run a voluntary revision session in his subject; a highly laudable gesture, you would think. But what is announced at the staff meeting immediately on our return for the second half of term? A parent has sent an e-mail of complaint to more than one colleague - not the one who had given up some of his holiday - to say that such sessions should not be held, since it was inconvenient for her daughter to attend. She was unable to benefit, so why should anyone else? Why do we bother?