Hi Stuart,
there shouldn't be problem to implement this.
But I think that the mentioned problem is caused by using same template.
You should read our KB article about templates(
Page Templates).
Basically if you use same template changes made on 1 place will applied to all others.
To sort this problem you can create ad-hoc template from 1 general template to ensure that it will not affect general template settings.
Best Regards,
Zbysek Nemec.