Is a student bank account really needed?

Hi, so I'm going through things that I need to do before uni, and one of the things I've seen was people setting up a student bank account.
Do I actually need one? Or is it more for insurance (overdrafts) and credit? I'm currently with Nationwide (FlexOne account), which is where my SFE loans will be transferred to, and I haven't put much other thought into it (regarding where my money is located, etc). Nationwide would, however, be where I most likely open up this account as I'm already with them.
Additionally, I'm not inclined to open another account if I do not require one, so any information on my prior questions would be appreciated! Thank you.

You don't need a student account.
However, student accounts come with perks, and the most significant is an interest-free overdraft facility. You might never need it, and might never use it, but it's available to you if you do need it.
It seems that a lot of banks (I haven't checked them all) only offer student accounts to students who are about to start, or who are already in, the first year of their course. Most seem not to allow students who are in their second or later year to open one.
So I would suggest that you do open one, and you do it now. It looks like you can ask to Nationwide to convert your existing account to their student account; this would mean you don't need to open a new account.