Yes — including a unit in another school in your own trust.
DfE’s guidance says placing a child into another mainstream school to improve behaviour or re-engage them is a form of off-site direction whatever it is called locally, so the notice, registration and review duties follow. A unit that only takes children already on your own admission register is a different thing.
updated 5 Feb 2025last checked 15 Aug 2026
What the source actually says
The label does not decide it:
“Although these units are sometimes referred to as “internal alternative provision”, the placement of children into another mainstream school with the intention of improving their behaviour or re-engaging them in education is a form of off-site direction. This includes where a pupil on the roll of one school is directed off-site to attend a pupil support unit in a different school (for example within the same multi-academy trust)”
— Alternative provision, DfE statutory guidance, published 5 February 2025, § In-school units DfE
The guidance draws the line by whose register the child is on:
“Most in-school units provide support and interventions just for children who were already on their own admission register before being referred to the unit, but some units are also set up to take children from other local schools.”
— Alternative provision, DfE statutory guidance, published 5 February 2025, § In-school units DfE
Where a unit does take other schools’ children, the consequences are set out:
“the host school will have overall accountability for the provision and will be responsible for all of the children while they are attending the unit”
— Alternative provision, DfE statutory guidance, published 5 February 2025, § In-school units DfE
“as the host school has overall accountability for the provision, the unit will form part of a school’s Ofsted inspection”
— Alternative provision, DfE statutory guidance, published 5 February 2025, § In-school units DfE
“the child should remain dual-registered at the referring school”
— Alternative provision, DfE statutory guidance, published 5 February 2025, § In-school units DfE
And the statutory route is named:
“Off-site direction from maintained schools is arranged under section 29A of the Education Act 2002.”
— Alternative provision, DfE statutory guidance, published 5 February 2025, § In-school units DfE
Your school may still require it
Your school can run its own internal unit for its own pupils and direct you to teach in it, refer to it, or follow its referral paperwork — that is ordinary school organisation. What the guidance settles is that once the child crosses to a different school’s unit, calling it “internal” changes nothing about the duties owed.
See also Can an academy direct a pupil off-site?, How should we register a pupil we have directed off-site? and Can a pupil be sent to alternative provision as a punishment?.