Your first choice primary school should be one you are most likely to get?

[coffeeforone]

AIBU that this is an incorrect statement? If you put your closest, most likely school as last option you still have as much chance as someone who put it first and it will come down to distance when they are allocating?

Thinking of putting 3 unlikely, better options (in order of my preference) then my very likely safe offer as 4th (final) place. Is this not sensible?

People are making this more complicated than it needs to be. Put down the order in your own preference rather than thinking you can be clever somehow in your order to get the school you want.
Also remember different boroughs may have different criteria, and even within a borough different schools may have different criteria.
For example I've just double checked as my second child is applying this year. There are different criteria in Wigan depending on they type of school - if its community, voluntary controlled, academy, foundation or voluntary aided but you can look through and see what they are for each school...

I was also going to point to clause 1.19. Added to weigh, clause 2.4 clears up the myths about supporting school, parent's disability, etc.:

In some cases, admission authorities will need to ask for supplementary information forms in order to process applications. If they do so, they must only use supplementary forms that request additional information when it has a direct bearing on decisions about oversubscription criteria or for the purpose of selection by aptitude or ability. They must notask, or use supplementary forms that ask, for any of the information prohibited by paragraph 1.9 above or for:
a) any personal details about parents and families, such as maiden
names, criminal convictions, marital, or financial status (including
marriage certificates);
b) the first language of parents or the child;
c) details about parents’ or a child’s disabilities, special educational
needs or medical conditions;
d) parents to agree to support the ethos of the school in a practical
way;
e) both parents to sign the form, or for the child to complete the form.

In my la they assess your application to each school separately based on their criteria. You either meet or don't meet the criteria for each school. You get the highest ranked one out if the ones for which you qualify. I'd check the info you were given by your la though. It might differ.

Laura The method used by your LA has to be used across England and Wales. They aren't legally permitted to differ.

After reading this thread I’m more confused than ever.

But our first choice school also happens to be across the road and our catchment school so I’m going to put that one first and fill the other 5 options in order of preference. I suppose I’ll just have to hope for the best at that point!

Drowning is right. The process is complex from the LA’s POV, but it couldn’t be simpler from the parents’ POV. Assuming you have five choices on your application form, then these are the only things you have to do.

Rule 1. List up to 4 schools in pure order of your personal preference.
Rule 2. Check whether any of those four ask for additional forms/tests/letters from vicars etc and comply with those if necessary.
Rule 3. Think about what your chances are of getting into any of those first four (ignoring the order you put them in). Have you included your nearest biggest school, or the school that an older sibling goes to? If all four are pretty long shots then add as your fifth choice a school that is pretty much a safe bet but which you’d accept if necessary.

If your preferred school is your nearest school then rule 3 is irrelevant.

The OP is absolutely correct. Brie explained why very well upthread, but this link also explains the process clearly - https://www.theschoolrun.com/equal-preference-system-explained

Hampshire also explain the system with examples - www.hants.gov.uk/educationandlearning/admissions/applicationprocess/howitworks

It drives me wild that so many people spread total misinformation on threads like these.