Confused by admissions criteria

[cakedup]

School A is situated opposite to where we live
School B is a 10 minute bus ride away

I think I prefer school B.
Their last intake included a proximity of up to 1.22 miles. I am 1.27 miles away. Obviously this will be greatly influenced by other factors such as siblings etc.

If I put school B down as first choice, and don't get in, do I have less of a chance of getting into School A because I didn't put it down as my first choice?

No. There is an equal preference system. Schools are not allowed to use position of the school on the form when deciding who to offer places to.

Brilliant, thank you!

Put the schools down in the order of your genuine preference, and as TheSecond says, you will not be disadvantaged. If on National offer day you get allocated School A, if you have put school B above it in your preference list you will automatically be put on the waiting list for School B.

The advertised distances are those allocated on national offer Day. This distance tends to grow a little once all the waiting lists start moving.

That makes sense, thank you Blu.