In the battle over education cuts, the grouping of subjects into so-called faculties has never been in the frontline.

Instead the argument has tended to focus on more controversial areas, such as teacher numbers, the retention of classroom assistants or the dropping of subjects. But a plan by West Dunbartonshire Council to cut the number of senior staff in its secondary schools has brought the debate over faculties into the spotlight.

If they go ahead, West Dunbartonshire's plans would involve the removal of deputy headteachers from the majority of its secondary schools from April next year; the number of principal teachers in each school would also be reduced by grouping subjects into faculties. It would mean that most subjects would no longer have a dedicated principal in charge at the affected schools - instead, one principal teacher would take responsibility for a number of different subjects.

In some small schools where a low number of pupils study some subjects, there could be an argument for such a move. But in general, the idea of a department being led by someone who does not have a grasp of every subject within that department is misguided. It will also be extremely demotivational for those teachers who find themselves demoted and paid around 20 per cent less than they were as principals.

In defending the plans, the council says the new faculties will match curricular areas within the Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) - subjects will be grouped in eight areas of literacy, numeracy, health and wellbeing, expressive arts, social subjects, sciences, technologies and religious and moral education. But CfE is no justification for the creation of faculties. One of the curriculum's principles is that education should range across subjects and there should be more cross-curricular working but it was never part of CfE that principals should be in charge of subjects outwith their training and experience.

The council also says the new secondary school structure matches that already adopted by other councils in Scotland. But the Educational Institute of Scotland teaching union is right to point out that West Dunbartonshire is a much more challenging environment than many other areas. If the argument against grouping subjects together applies anywhere, it is in areas at the forefront of attempts to reduce the attainment gap.

The council's talk of the Curriculum for Excellence or following the example of other councils also cannot disguise the main driving force for the suggested changes: the fact that moving to faculties would save the council around £600,000. In many ways, the council deserves some sympathy - what is it supposed to do in the face of massive budget cuts?

But the case for faculties has not been made in West Dunbartonshire. The council says it is committed to improving the life chances of pupils through education. But here is every chance that the creation of faculties could reduce those chances.