Most of the UK banks have these restrictions because they don't want to issue credit to someone who might leave the country without paying off the debt, such as a student overdraft. The banks have been burned many times in the past (I certainly know a few 'overseas' students who left the UK without paying off their overdrafts and with no intention of paying them off).
Having said that, your son should be able to open a student account targetted at international students studying in the UK. These are typically similar to normal student accounts (low/no fees, debit card, offers & discounts) but lack the credit facilities of the full-fledged student accounts (so no credit cards or overdrafts). Most of the big banks offer them, for example:
Natwest International Student Account Santander International Student Account Barclays International Student Account
Unless you have immediate needs to begin funding, you might suggest your son waits until he arrives in the UK to open an account. During freshers week, all of the banks are tripping over themselves to offer accounts and goodies for opening accounts -- he just needs to explore those accounts targetted at 'overseas' students. He may also find that, when face-to-face with a bank manager (and as a UK citizen), a local bank may be willing to make an exception and open a normal student account instead of an international one, a case-by-case exception that a branch manager might make but that a call centre won't.
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